Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov

Force in Play

Killed December 17, 2024

Since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, a campaign of assassinations has targeted its military elite in Moscow. On February 6, 2026, Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseyev—first deputy head of Russian military intelligence (GRU), accused of masterminding the 2018 Salisbury nerve agent attack—was shot three times in his apartment building by an attacker posing as a delivery person. He underwent emergency surgery, regained consciousness on February 7, and stabilized under intensive care. Russia's FSB detained three suspects: Lyubomir Korba, a 65-year-old Russian citizen extradited from Dubai whom the FSB claims confessed to SBU recruitment; Viktor Vasin, detained in Moscow; and Zinaida Serebritskaya, who fled to Ukraine. Kyiv has officially denied involvement.

Updated Feb 13

Force in Play

Killed by bomb on electric scooter, December 17, 2024

On December 28, President Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy projected cautious optimism at Mar-a-Lago, announcing 90% agreement on a revised 20-point peace framework—but the next day Russia claimed Ukraine attacked Putin's residence with drones, a charge Kyiv denies as fabricated to sabotage talks. The alleged attack crystallizes the fragility of negotiations: even as diplomats inch toward compromise, the shadow war continues and Moscow weaponizes accusations to "toughen" its bargaining position. Nearly four years after invasion, the question isn't whether a deal is close—it's whether either side can stop fighting long enough to sign one.

Updated Dec 31, 2025

Force in Play

Killed by scooter bomb in Moscow, December 17, 2024

A car bomb killed Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov in southern Moscow on December 22, 2025—the latest in a series of targeted assassinations of Russian military officials. Sarvarov, who headed the training department within Russia's general staff, was blown up in the capital city itself, a brazen escalation of Ukraine's shadow war behind Russian lines. Two days later, another bombing in the same Moscow district killed two police officers and the attacker, raising questions about whether the incidents are connected.

Updated Dec 25, 2025