STORY: A senior Russian officer, Lieutenant General Vladimir Alexeyev, was rushed to hospital after being shot in Moscow on Friday (February 6), officials said.

Alexeyev is deputy chief of the Main Directorate of the General Staff at the Defence Ministry. When mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin staged a short-lived mutiny in June 2023, Alexeyev was one of the top officials who were sent to negotiate with him.

The Moscow prosecutor's office said Alexeyev had been shot several times at a residential building in northwest Moscow by an unknown assailant who fled the scene.

Several senior Russian officers have been assassinated since the start of the war in Ukraine, with Moscow blaming the attacks on Kyiv. In some cases, Ukrainian military intelligence has claimed responsibility.

The most recent officer to be killed was the head of the General Staff's army training directorate, Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, who was killed by a bomb under his car on December 22.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

VIDEO SHOWS: FILE FOOTAGE OF SENIOR RUSSIAN MILITARY OFFICIAL, LIEUTENANT GENERAL VLADIMIR ALEXEYEV, REPORTED HOSPITALIZED AFTER BEING SHOT IN MOSCOW

EDITORS NOTE: BLURRED AT SOURCE

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

SHOWS: ROSTOV-ON-DON, RUSSIA (FILE - JUNE 24, 2023) (VIDEO OBTAINED BY REUTERS - Access all)

1. RUSSIAN MILITARY OFFICIAL, LIEUTENANT GENERAL VLADIMIR RUSSIAN MILITARY OFFICIAL, LIEUTENANT GENERAL VLADIMIR ALEXEYEV (ON THE RIGHT) WITH DEPUTY DEFENCE MINISTER YUNUS BEK YEVKUROV (ON THE LEFT) HOLDING NEGOTIATIONS WITH WAGNER GROUP PRIVATE MILITARY COMPANY CHIEF YEVGENY PRIGOZHIN (IN CENTRE) AND URGING HIM TO STOP HIS MARCH ON MOSCOW

UNIDENTIFIED LOCATION (FILE - JUNE 24, 2023) (VIDEO OBTAINED BY REUTERS - Access all) (ORIGINALLY FILMED IN PORTRAIT)

2. ALEXEYEV CALLING THE SITUATION WITH WAGNER FOUNDER YEVGENY PRIGOZHIN 'A MILITARY COUP' AND URGING WAGNER FIGHTERS TO RETURN TO BASES

UNIDENTIFIED LOCATION (FILE - RELEASED FEBRUARY JUNE 14, 2023) (RUSSIAN DEFENCE MINISTRY - Do not obscure logo)

3. ALEXEYEV SPEAKING ABOUT CONTRACTUAL MILITARY SERVICE

UNIDENTIFIED LOCATION (FILE - RELEASED FEBRUARY JUNE 13, 2023) (RUSSIAN DEFENCE MINISTRY - Do not obscure logo)

4. ALEXEYEV SITTING AND SIGNING MILITARY SERVICE CONTRACTS WITH SERVICEMEN

5. ALEXEYEV SHAKING HANDS WITH SERVICEMEN

6. ALEXEYEV SPEAKING

UNIDENTIFIED LOCATION (FILE - RELEASED FEBRUARY JUNE 14, 2023) (RUSSIAN DEFENCE MINISTRY - Do not obscure logo)

7. VARIOUS OF ALEXEYEV SHAKING HANDS WITH SERVICEMEN

8. ALEXEYEV SPEAKING