On February 9, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) accused Polish special forces of participating in supporting Ukraine in the plan to assassinate Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseyev, Deputy Director General of the General Department of Military Intelligence of Russia (GRU). The attack occurred in western Moscow on February 6 but was unsuccessful.
According to the FSB, the main suspect Lyubomir Korba, 65 years old, was arrested in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and extradited to Moscow last weekend.
Korba is a Russian citizen born in Ukraine. Moscow believes that Warsaw used Korba's son - a Polish citizen - as a bridge for the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) to access and recruit gunmen.
The FSB said Korba was approached by the SBU from August 2025 in the city of Ternopol, western Ukraine. After that, this person was said to have participated in shooting training courses before moving to Russia via Moldova and Georgia. In return, the SBU was accused of promising to pay 30,000 USD to Korba if the assassination of the Russian general was successful.
The FSB also announced the role of 2 accomplice suspects. Viktor Vasin, 66, was arrested in Russia, believed to be the person who provided accommodation and logistical support to Korba during the preparation for the crime.
The FSB accused Vasin of having "terrorist motives", and said that this person supports the Anti-Corruption Fund of late opposition politician Aleksey Navalny - an organization that Russia has listed as terrorist since November last year.
The third suspect, Zinaida Serebritskaya, 54 years old, is currently on the run and is believed to have fled to Ukraine.
According to the FSB, Serebritskaya rented an apartment in the same building where Lieutenant General Alekseyev lived, creating conditions for Korba to access the common corridor.
The gunman is accused of firing 4 shots with a silencer-mounted pistol provided by the SBU, before throwing away the weapon and fleeing.
The FSB affirmed that both Korba and Vasin had admitted their crimes, claiming that the attack was carried out under direct direction from the SBU. Russia said Korba was also paid periodically in cryptocurrencies during the assassination preparation.
The Ukrainian side rejected all allegations related to the incident. Kiev denied involvement in the plot to assassinate Lieutenant General Alekseyev, who has now passed the critical condition and woke up after surgery. Poland has also not made official comments on the accusations from Russia.
Notably, just 1 day before the shooting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that he had approved new operations proposed by the newly appointed SBU leader. Russia considers this as evidence that Ukraine continues to pursue provocative actions.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov declared that the incident "once again shows that President Zelensky's administration is focusing on sabotage actions to disrupt the negotiation process". He emphasized that Moscow will respond appropriately to what Russia calls "direct interference by external forces".
The failed assassination targeting a senior Russian general, along with allegations related to Poland, is assessed by observers as potentially increasing tensions between Russia and NATO, in the context of the increasingly confrontational Ukraine conflict on the international stage.
