Alleged accomplice in attempted assassination of GRU general was recently an FSB institute employee

Viktor Vasin, 66, whom Moscow alleges played a supporting role in the attempted assassination of GRU deputy chief Vladimir Alexeyev, turned out to be an employee of an institute subordinate to the FSB. As Important Stories found after obtaining access to Vasin’s employment record, as of July 2025 he worked at the Atlas Scientific and Technical Center in the capacity of leading specialist for civil defense and emergency situations.

The Atlas Scientific and Technical Center is part of the Rostec defense conglomerate, producing cryptographic tools, secure mobile phones, and hardware-software suites used by the FSB and SVR for detecting cyberattacks.

Vasin, a graduate of a branch of the Budyonny Military Academy of Communications, has been registered at an address in the closed military town of Noginsk-9 since the early 2000s. Until 2012, Noginsk-9 was home to the Russian Navy’s 69th Testing Center, and it remains the site of the country’s Main Space Intelligence Center — part of the Aerospace Forces’ 15th Special Purpose Army, which is responsible for the timely detection of nuclear missile launches.

In his curriculum vitae, Vasin stated that he had served as a regimental chief of staff and as head of a satellite communications station. In the past, he also worked at various state enterprises in the civilian sector and at commercial firms as a civil defense and fire safety inspector or as an engineer. Vasin’s son is also a retired officer of the Russian Armed Forces.

According to statements by the FSB, three people participated in the attempted assassination of General Alexeyev: Lyubomir Korba is named as the direct perpetrator, while Vasin and Zinaida Serebritskaya are described as accomplices. Korba was detained in the UAE and transferred to Russia on Feb. 8. Vasin was detained in Moscow, while Serebritskaya has reportedly fled to Ukraine.

FSB reports did not mention any connection between Vasin and the intelligence services. However, they notably claimed that he was a supporter of Alexei Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation, that he had participated in protests in Moscow, and that he had registered with the “Smart Voting” portal and the Navalny Headquarters website. According to the case materials, Vasin helped Korba by renting accommodation for him and buying him a public transport pass. On Feb. 9, the FSB released footage of Korba confessing that he attempted to kill the GRU general on the orders of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), and of Vasin admitting that he had assisted Korba and that he knew about the would-be assassin’s plans.

On the morning of Feb. 6, Korba ambushed Alexeyev on a landing in an apartment building and fired at him four times. The general was seriously injured but survived.