Russia has accused Polish intelligence of helping Ukraine recruit the suspected gunman in a failed assassination attempt on a senior Russian general in Moscow. The claim has sharply raised tensions with Warsaw and added a new twist to the war time standoff between Russia and NATO states.
Russian investigators say the target was Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseyev, the deputy head of Russia’s military intelligence agency, who was seriously wounded in a shooting outside a residential building in northwest Moscow. The attacker allegedly fired several shots at close range before fleeing the scene.
According to Russia’s Federal Security Service, the main suspect, Lyubomyr or Lubomir Korba, is a Russian citizen born in Ukraine who they say was recruited by Ukraine’s Security Service in 2025 with support from Polish intelligence. In a video released by the FSB, the suspect is shown claiming he was trained at a shooting range in Kyiv, vetted with a polygraph and promised 30,000 dollars for the killing.
The FSB and Investigative Committee say Korba entered Russia via a route through Kyiv, Chisinau and Tbilisi before arriving in Moscow, where an accomplice helped him rent an apartment and move around the city. Russian authorities say he fled to Dubai after the attack but was later detained and extradited back to Russia, while another suspect was arrested in Moscow and a female accomplice allegedly escaped to Ukraine.
Moscow’s accusations extend to Poland, with Russian officials claiming Polish intelligence participated in Korba’s recruitment through his son, a Polish citizen living in Katowice. Poland and Ukraine have not publicly confirmed the details, while Ukrainian officials have denied any role and said Kyiv had nothing to do with the attack.
The case has further strained already tense relations between Russia and NATO members supporting Kyiv in the war. Analysts say it may be used by Moscow to justify tougher language and possible retaliatory steps against Poland, which has been one of Ukraine’s strongest backers since the full scale invasion began.
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