They include the man said to have carried out the attack, who has been named as Ukrainian-born Russian citizen Lyubomir Korba. Russia's Investigations Committee (SK) said Korba arrived in the capital, Moscow, in late December "on assignment from Ukrainian intelligence services to commit a terrorist attack". Kyiv has reportedly denied involvement. Alexeyev, 64, was taken to hospital after the attack in a residential block of flats in the north-western outskirts of Moscow on Friday. He has since regained consciousness after surgery, according to Russian media reports.

Alexeyev is number two in the main directorate of Russia's GRU military intelligence and the latest high-ranking military figure to have been targeted in or near Moscow since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko said on Sunday that his attacker had fired three shots before fleeing and that Korba travelled to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) hours after the shooting. He has since been arrested and extradited. Russian state TV channel Ru-24 aired footage showing security agents escorting Korba off a plane at an unknown location. "Investigators conducted a thorough inspection at the scene, during which they discovered the murder weapon—a Makarov pistol with a silencer and three rounds of ammunition," Petrenko added. Forensic tests are being carried out on the gun. Russian media, quoting Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, reported that President Vladimir Putin had thanked UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Saturday for his country's help in catching Korba. Quoted by Reuters, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said on Friday that Kyiv had nothing to do with the shooting, suggesting that it was an internal Russian affair. (BBC)