The head of Russia's GRU spy agency is reported dead ‘after a long and serious illness’
17:53, 21 november 2018
Igor Korobov, the head of Russia’s Military Intelligence Directorate (GRU), died “after a long and serious illness,” a Defense Ministry spokesperson told the news agency
RIA Novosti early on November 22. Korobov was 62 years old. He served in the Soviet and Russian armed forces since 1973, joining the USSR's military intelligence in 1985 and becoming Russia's GRU director in 2016.
Korobov 's predecessor, Igor Sergun, died suddenly on January 3, 2016. Officially, he passed away at his home outside Moscow after suffering a heart attack. According to the American geopolitical intelligence firm
Stratfor, however, Sergun died on New Year’s Day in Lebanon.
“GRU Director Igor Sergun has died.”
RIA Novosti
A career intelligence officer who started out in the 1980s, Korobov graduated from the “Conservatory” and went on to oversee Russia’s strategic intelligence gathering, including the management of all foreign stations. His appointment was no surprise: since the 1990s, the president has
traditionally entrusted the job to lieutenants who supervised Russia’s foreign stations.
American officials added Korobov to their sanctions list in December 2016 for his “efforts to undermine democracy” by organizing hacker attacks. Nevertheless, Korobov and the directors of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) and Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) made an unprecedented trip to Washington in February 2018 to meet with members of the U.S. intelligence community to discuss the war against terrorism.
Head of Russian military intelligence GRU Igor Korobov dies — source
Korobov was appointed as the head of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces in 2016
MOSCOW, November 22. /TASS/. Head of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces (GRU) General Colonel Igor Korobov has died aged 63, a source in the Russian Defense Ministry told TASS on Thursday.
"Head of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Deputy Chief of General Staff Igor Korobov died on November 21 from a serious illness," the source said.
Igor Korobov was born on 3 November 1956. He started serving in the military in 1973. He graduated from the Stavropol Higher Military Aviation Schoold of Pilots and Navigators of the Air Defense Forces, Military Academy of the Soviet Army and Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
Korobov worked in military intelligence since 1985 and occupied different positions in the Main Directorate. He spoke several foreign languages.
Over the years of his military service, Korobov received many awards and medals.
In 2016 he was appointed by a presidential decree as the head of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces and Deputy Chief of General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces.