Kristina Kazakova17:49, 06.02.26

Clark noted that in cases where Ukrainian intelligence agencies claimed responsibility, car bombs were used.

At first glance, the attack on Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseyev does not appear to be typical work by Ukrainian intelligence agencies, writes military analyst Michael Clarke in an article for Sky News .

Clark added that Kyiv has not yet claimed responsibility for it, although the attack is undoubtedly approved in Ukraine.

The analyst explained why he believes Ukraine may not be involved in this incident. Firstly, as Clarke writes, it’s “not their style.”

Clark noted that when Igor Kirilov was killed in 2024, it was with a bomb hidden in an electric bicycle at the entrance to his Moscow apartment.

He also recalls that when Yaroslav Moskalik was killed in 2025, and then Fanil Sarvarov in December, in both cases car bombs were used.

As the analyst noted, in all three cases the effect was immediate and fatal.

However, the shooting of Russian General Vladimir Alekseyev took place from some distance. He was shot several times in the back, but the attack did not result in his death. Therefore, Clarke suggests that the attacker may not have been a professional killer.

At the same time, the analyst added that Ukrainians, like Russians, are trying to encourage amateurs in their enemy’s country to “test their strength,” so this attack could have occurred due to the indirect involvement of Ukrainian intelligence services, even if they had not planned it.

Clark also noted that in other cases, Ukrainian intelligence agencies were quick to comment on such events and often claimed they were the ones behind it. However, he notes that their silence for several hours after the incident is interesting.

The article notes that Alekseev held a very high position in Russian military intelligence, the GRU. He had extensive intelligence experience and was present during the events in Syria and Ukraine, the 2018 Salisbury poisoning, and the alleged interference in the 2020 US presidential election.

Clarke does not rule out that Alekseev held regular negotiations with private military companies that are an integral part of Russia’s offensive operation in Ukraine, in particular with the private military company Wagner.

While, as the article states, Wagner has since been incorporated into the regular Russian armed forces, many other PMCs are still operating, essentially on their own, in the Kremlin’s war against Ukraine.

The military analyst emphasized that these PMCs are known for their corruption and ties to organized crime in Russia. Therefore, he suggests that the Russian general’s death was desired not only by Ukrainians, but also by local gangs and groups with whom he may have had conflicts.

At the same time, Clark is confident that “Russian intelligence services will detain someone within the next 24-48 hours and will claim that this person, whoever he is, was working for Ukraine.”

“Some things in the Kremlin’s activities don’t change,” the analyst added.

(C)UNIAN 2026