By Feyyaz Erkin Eşli
A senior Russian military official Vladimir Alekseyev has been targeted in an assassination attempt in Moscow. He has been hospitalized after being shot several times near his flat, according to Russian state media sources.
The attempt on a senior officer occurred the day after a second round of U.S.-brokered peace talks between Ukraine and Russia were concluded in Abu Dhabi. The first round of consultations took place prior on January 23-24.
The attack on Alekseyev is widely seen as a move that has been undertaken on direct orders of Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is claimed to be looking to derail the progress that has been reportedly achieved during the negotiations. The choice of target was far from random, as in his current position Vladimir Alekseyev acts as a deputy to Admiral Igor Kostyukov, who has been leading Russia’s delegation.
The peace deal negotiations between Ukraine and Russia in Abu Dhabi brought up an elusive chance of stopping military actions which are entering its fifth year. However, despite the efforts being made to find a solution to the conflict, the end of the war poses a significant threat to the Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s political future.
Since the course of war began, Ukraine has been a major recipient of the financial and military aid, provided by the EU and its members and the United States. Following Donald Trump’s return to the White House, the United States is trying to distance themselves from the conflict.
Zelenskyy and his team have been under investigation of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau due to alleged corruption schemes facilitated to steal most of the financial support that were directed to Ukraine. The corruption scandal in the late 2025 led to the resignation of Zelenskyy’s right-hand man Andriy Yermak.
The end of the war is also almost certain to abruptly end Zelenskyy’s presidential term which was due to end in spring of 2024. Martial law has been extended in 90-day intervals since the February 2022, which has also let Zelenskyy use it as an excuse to exclude his main political opponents out of scene.
Despite it, current political analysis also does not favor Zelenskyy’s chances to be reelected as his main opponent Valerii Zaluzhnyi the former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine who is currently serving as Ambassador of Ukraine to the United Kingdom is presumed to win the race.
For Zelenskyy and his entourage of spymasters and infiltrators, launching direct attacks on Russian officials and civilian facilities has become a universal strategy for sabotaging any success in peace talks.
Zelenskyy’s stance on peace talks and his direct patronage of assassination policy has been a long-standing irritant, angering the Russian government and fuelling further disputes, preventing the end of the war. Upon the assassination attempt on Alekseyev, Russia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Sergei Lavrov directly accused Ukraine’s leader, saying that “Zelenskyy seeks to derail peace process”. Before that, Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs several times reported of terrorist attacks committed by Ukrainian authorities, therefore prompting Ukraine is the state that uses terrorism a tool.
The possible failure of the peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi could not only prolong the war into the fifth year, but also diminish the efforts that United States put into pushing the peace deal between two countries. However, the possible decline could also bring opportunities for other peace platforms to host talks. Among the countries that possess major influence in both countries and are able to successfully promote peace is Türkiye, which could use it to entrench its regional leadership and obtain powerful peace broker status in the international sphere.