dailynewsnblog
Russia’s Putin being briefed on top general’s assassination attempt, Kremlin says
The Kremlin has just said that special services are looking into the attempted assassination reported this morning, and Russia’s president Vladimir Putin is being briefed on the incident, Reuters reported.
Key events
Protesters rally in Milan against US ICE presence at Milano Cortina Olympics
Hundreds of protesters gathered in Milan on Friday to oppose the presence of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and the closure of schools and streets in the city ahead of the opening ceremony of the Milano Cortina Winter Games.
Reuters reported that protesters – mostly students with signs reading “ICE out” – assembled in Piazzale Leonardo da Vinci, in front of a building of the Politecnico University in the eastern part of the city.
The US state department said last week that several federal agencies, including ICE, would help protect the visiting Americans, a decision that immediately triggered protests in Milan.
On Thursday, Nicole Deal, chief of security and athlete services for the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee insisted that no agents from ICE were providing security for the Team USA delegation.
But La Repubblica newspaper said on Friday that its sources claimed three ICE agents were still embedded in the broader US presence.
The paper also reported extensively on the heavy US security presence reportedly involving 45 vehicles and over 300 security agents to protect the US vice-president JD Vance and the US secretary of state Marco Rubio.
The opening ceremony is on tonight at the wonderful San Siro, with lots of rumours and leaks about how is going to star and what they are going to sing, including some really big Italian hits…
The ceremony is expected to last 2,5 hours, and see not one, but two Olympic cauldrons in both host cities of Milan and Cortina.
There is also some late political drama as to which official delegations will even take part, as some leaders are reportedly not that keen on sitting next to each other.
Italy’s prime minister Giorgia Meloni is also expected to meet with JD Vance this afternoon, and I somehow doubt they will be talking about the big air competition.
Oh, and curling, luge, and downhill are on now. Just saying.
For detailed coverage of the Olympics, join our special live blog here:
Former PM, Nobel committee chair investigated by Norway’s economic crime police unit after Epstein files release
Norway’s economic crime police unit, Økokrim, said it has opened an investigation into former prime minister and chairman of the Norwegian Nobel committee, Thorbjørn Jagland, on suspicion of aggravated corruption, Reuters reported.
The decision to investigate Jagland, also a former secretary general of the Council of Europe, was based on information revealed by newly released files related to the late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Økokrim said.
“We consider there are reasonable grounds for investigation, given that he held the positions of chair of the Nobel Committee and secretary general of the Council of Europe during the period covered by the released documents,” Økokrim director Paal Loeseth said in a statement.
Jagland has not been charged with any crime and the investigation will among other things cover whether gifts, travel and loans were received in connection with his position.
Separate investigations related to the latest Epstein files release have also been opened in Poland and Lithuania, among others.
Jakub Krupa
I will bring you more from Russia when we have it, but in the meantime…
First pictures from the scene of the attempted assassination of Russian general
Alekseyev’s shooting will be seen as failure to protect key military personnel – snap analysis
Pjotr Sauer
Russian affairs reporter
Alekseyev’s shooting will be seen as the latest failure of Russia’s security services to protect key military personnel deep inside Russia.
While details of who carried out the attack and how it was organised remain unclear, Russian military bloggers have criticised apparent security lapses, questioning how a gunman was able to enter the apartment building undetected.
When Lt Gen Igor Kirillov, another prominent military official, was killed in December 2024 after an explosive device planted in a scooter detonated as he left his home in Moscow, Vladimir Putin described the killing as a “gravest failure” of Russia’s law enforcement agencies.
Russia’s Putin being briefed on top general’s assassination attempt, Kremlin says
The Kremlin has just said that special services are looking into the attempted assassination reported this morning, and Russia’s president Vladimir Putin is being briefed on the incident, Reuters reported.
‘Striking’ timing of the shooting prompts Russia to blame Ukraine – snap analysis
Pjotr Sauer
Russian affairs reporter
The timing of the shooting is striking. It came a day after Russian and Ukrainian delegations – including Alekseyev’s direct superior, Igor Kostyukov – met in Abu Dhabi, where both sides spoke of apparent progress in the peace talks.
Some in Moscow swiftly blamed Ukraine, alleging without evidence that Kyiv was attempting to derail the talks.
“An attempt on Alekseyev’s life is the best way to derail these talks, and the only person who stands to benefit in this situation is Volodymyr Zelenskyy,” said Alexei Zhuravlev, a Russian parliamentarian.
He called for those involved to be eliminated, describing Alekseyev as “one of the most authoritative and respected generals in the Russian army.”
Previous peace efforts have broken down over Russia’s maximalist territorial demands on Ukraine, with Moscow repeatedly rejecting Kyiv’s calls for an immediate ceasefire.
Russian news agency Interfax is reporting that the investigators are currently looking at CCTV recordings from the crime scene and interrogating eyewitnesses, with early reports that the attacker fired “several shots” at Alekseyev.
Moscow’s suspicions are likely to fall on Kyiv as attack on military chief investigated – snap analysis
Pjotr Sauer
Russian affairs reporter
Alekseyev is a deputy director of Russia’s military intelligence agency, the GRU. He has been widely described as a key figure overseeing the country’s private military companies and was among the senior officials dispatched to negotiate with Yevgeny Prigozhin during the Wagner group’s brief mutiny in the summer of 2023.
He is also under US sanctions for his alleged involvement in efforts to interfere in the 2020 presidential election.
No party has claimed responsibility for the attack, but suspicion in Moscow is likely to fall on Kyiv. Ukrainian intelligence agencies have targeted dozens of Russian military officers and Russian-installed officials since the start of the war, accusing them of involvement in war crimes.
Little is publicly known about the clandestine networks believed to be behind assassinations and attacks on military infrastructure inside Russia and in Russian-controlled territories.
Morning opening: Deputy chief of Russian military intelligence shot
Jakub Krupa
We are opening today’s live blog with breaking news coming to us from Moscow that a deputy chief of Russian military intelligence was shot and wounded Friday, officials said, in comments reported by AP.
Lt Gen Vladimir Alekseyev was shot several times by an unidentified assailant in Moscow, Investigative Committee spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko said in a statement.
She said that Alekseyev was hospitalised. Petrenko didn’t say who could be behind the attack Alekseyev has served as the first deputy head of Russia’s military intelligence since 2011.
AFP noted that several high-ranking military officials have been killed since Moscow launched its full-scale offensive on Ukraine in February 2022.
I will bring you more when we have it.
It’s Friday, 6 February 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
