Moscow: A senior Russian general was on Friday shot by an unidentified individual in the capital Moscow, the Investigative Committee said.

According to Anadolu Agency, spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko stated on Telegram that several shots were fired at Lt. Gen. Vladimir Alekseyev at a residential building in the capital. She mentioned that the assailant fled the scene following the shooting.

A criminal case of attempted murder and illegal trafficking of firearms has been launched in connection with the incident that occurred in northwestern Moscow. "Investigators and forensic experts from the Moscow Investigative Committee are currently working at the scene, reviewing CCTV footage, and interviewing eyewitnesses," Petrenko added.

Petrenko also noted that authorities are actively working to identify those involved in the shooting. Lt. Gen. Alekseyev has served as the first deputy head of the General Staff's Main Intelligence Directorate since 2011.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused Ukraine of orchestrating the shooting, labeling it as a "terrorist act." At a press conference following discussions with OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Ignazio Cassis and Secretary-General Feridun Sinirlioglu, Lavrov asserted that the attack highlighted Ukraine's ongoing provocations aimed at disrupting peace negotiations intended to end the nearly four-year conflict.

Lavrov further claimed that the incident demonstrated Kyiv's willingness to "do anything to convince its Western sponsors to keep up with the US in its efforts to derail them from achieving a fair settlement." Ukrainian authorities have yet to respond to these accusations or the incident.

The Russia-Ukraine war, set to enter its fifth year later this month, has seen the deaths of several top Russian officers, with Moscow attributing responsibility to Kyiv. Ukraine has acknowledged its role in certain instances. Most notably, in December, a senior Russian military official, Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov, was killed in a car explosion in Moscow.