An assassination attempt was carried out in Moscow against Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseev, according to Svetlana Petrenko, the official spokesperson for Russia’s Investigative Committee.

She said that on February 6, in a residential building located on Volokolamskoe Shosse in Moscow, an unidentified person fired several shots at the general and then fled the scene. The victim was hospitalized in a city hospital.

The attacker is currently being sought. Investigators and forensic specialists are reviewing surveillance camera footage and questioning witnesses. A criminal case has been opened on charges of attempted murder and illegal trafficking of firearms. The investigation is under special control of the Moscow Prosecutor’s Office.

According to the Telegram channel SHOT, Alekseev’s condition is assessed as serious and he is currently in intensive care. The report claims the attacker waited for Alekseev on the stairwell one floor above and opened fire as the general left his apartment. It is alleged that three shots were fired into his back before the shooter escaped.

Emergency services were reportedly called by neighbors who heard gunfire and the victim’s screams.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitrii Peskov said that Vladimir Putin is receiving оперативные reports on the situation and wishes the general a speedy recovery. Peskov also said that Russia’s special services are carrying out their work in connection with the assassination attempt.

Vladimir Alekseev serves as First Deputy Head of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces. He was awarded the title Hero of Russia in 2017.