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, an attacker posing as a delivery person shot Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseyev three times in his Moscow apartment building. Alekseyev, first deputy head of Russian military intelligence (GRU) and accused mastermind of the 2018 Salisbury nerve agent attack, underwent emergency surgery, regained consciousness on February 7, and stabilized under intensive care.

Updated May 27

Force in Play

Killed by bomb on electric scooter, December 17, 2024

On December 28, President Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced 90% agreement on a revised 20-point peace framework at Mar-a-Lago. The next day Russia claimed Ukraine attacked Putin's residence with drones—a charge Kyiv denies, calling it fabricated to sabotage talks. The alleged attack exposes how fragile negotiations are: while diplomats inch toward compromise, the shadow war continues and Moscow weaponizes accusations to 'toughen' its bargaining position. The real question after nearly four years of invasion is whether either side will stop fighting long enough to sign a deal.

Updated May 16

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 May 16