Igor Korobov, the head of Russian military intelligence, has died amid mounting accusations that his agency, commonly known as the GRU, was behind subversive attacks on Western countries.
The Russian Defense Ministry said Korobov, 62, died Wednesday after a “serious and long illness.” Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu called the air force general a “faithful son of Russia” and “patriot of the fatherland.” He is survived by his wife and two daughters, according to the TASS news agency.
Though Korobov was hardly a household name even in Russia, in 2016, the U.S. Treasury put him on a sanctions list for “significant malicious cyber-enabled activities.” Yet those restrictions didn’t stop Korobov from traveling to Washington with other top Russian security officials for secret talks in January, as reported by the Washington Post.
Less than two months later, former GRU officer Sergei Skripal, an exiled double agent, was poisoned along with his daughter by a rare nerve agent in Salisbury, England. British Prime Minister Theresa May accused the GRU of being behind that attack.
Russian authorities have consistently denied any involvement in the Skripal poisoning or in foreign election interference, saying the charges have been fabricated to tar Russia and justify additional sanctions. On the 100th anniversary of the GRU’s founding earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin praised the agency for its “unique capabilities.”
Korobov took charge of the GRU in January 2016 after his predecessor, Igor Sergun, died at age 58 under unclear circumstances. His death first became public after the Kremlin published Putin’s condolences to Sergun’s family. ΠΡΠΊΠ°Π·ΡΠ²Π°ΡΡΡΡ ΠΎΡ ΠΆΠ΅Π»Π°Π½ΠΈΡ ΠΏΠΎΠΈΠ³ΡΠ°ΡΡ ΠΈ ΠΏΡΠΈΡΡΠ½ΠΎ ΠΏΡΠΎΠ²Π΅ΡΡΠΈ Π²ΡΠ΅ΠΌΡ ΡΠΎΠΆΠ΅ Π½Π΅ ΡΡΠΎΠΈΡ β ΠΌΠΎΠΆΠ½ΠΎ ΠΈΡΠΏΠΎΠ»ΡΠ·ΠΎΠ²Π°ΡΡ ΠΊΠ°Π·ΠΈΠ½ΠΎ Ρ Π·Π΅ΡΠΊΠ°Π»ΠΎ. ΠΠΎΡΡΠΎΠΌΡ ΠΏΡΠ΅ΠΆΠ΄Π΅ ΡΠ΅ΠΌ ΠΈΠ³ΡΠ°ΡΡ Π² ΠΎΠ½Π»Π°ΠΉΠ½ ΠΊΠ°Π·ΠΈΠ½ΠΎ Π½Π° Π΄Π΅Π½ΡΠ³ΠΈ, Π²Π½ΠΈΠΌΠ°ΡΠ΅Π»ΡΠ½ΠΎ ΠΈΠ·ΡΡΠΈΡΠ΅, ΠΊΠ°ΠΊΠΈΠ΅ Π±ΠΎΠ½ΡΡΡ, Π°ΠΊΡΠΈΠΈ ΠΏΡΠΎΠ²ΠΎΠ΄ΡΡΡΡ Π½Π° ΠΈΠ½ΡΠ΅ΡΠ΅ΡΡΡΡΠΈΡ Π²Π°Ρ ΠΏΠ»ΠΎΡΠ°Π΄ΠΊΠ°Ρ . ΠΠ½ΠΎΠ³ΠΎ Π»ΠΎΡΠ΅ΡΠ΅ΠΉ, Π±ΠΎΠ½ΡΡΠΎΠ² ΠΈ ΡΡΡΠ½ΠΈΡΠΎΠ², ΠΎΡΠΈΡΠΈΠ°Π»ΡΠ½ΡΠΉ ΡΠ°ΠΉΡ Casino X ΠΈΠΌΠ΅Π΅Ρ ΡΠ΄ΠΎΠ±Π½ΡΠΉ ΠΈΠ½ΡΡΡΠ΅ΠΉΡ ΠΈ Π±ΠΎΠ»ΡΡΠΎΠΉ Π²ΡΠ±ΠΎΡ ΠΈΠ³ΡΠΎΠ²ΡΡ Π°Π²ΡΠΎΠΌΠ°ΡΠΎΠ². ΠΠΎΠΌΠΈΠΌΠΎ ΡΡΠΎΠ³ΠΎ, ΠΏΠΎΠ»ΡΠ·ΠΎΠ²Π°ΡΠ΅Π»ΠΈ ΠΌΠΎΠ³ΡΡ ΠΏΠΎΡΡΠ°ΡΡΠ²ΠΎΠ²Π°ΡΡ Π² Π΅ΠΆΠ΅Π΄Π½Π΅Π²Π½ΡΡ ΡΡΡΠ½ΠΈΡΠ°Ρ Π² ΠΊΠ°Π·ΠΈΠ½ΠΎ Π₯. Π’Π°ΠΊΠΆΠ΅, ΠΏΡΠ°ΠΊΡΠΈΡΠ΅ΡΠΊΠΈ Π½Π° ΠΊΠ°ΠΆΠ΄ΡΠΉ ΡΠ²ΠΎΠΉ Π΄Π΅ΠΏΠΎΠ·ΠΈΡ ΠΏΠΎΠ»ΡΠ·ΠΎΠ²Π°ΡΠ΅Π»Ρ ΠΌΠΎΠΆΠ΅Ρ ΠΏΠΎΠ»ΡΡΠΈΡΡ Π΄ΠΎΠΏΠΎΠ»Π½ΠΈΡΠ΅Π»ΡΠ½ΡΠ΅ 20% Π±ΠΎΠ½ΡΡΠ½ΡΡ ΡΡΠ΅Π΄ΡΡΠ². ΠΠΎΠ²ΡΠ΅ ΠΊΠ°Π·ΠΈΠ½ΠΎ Π»ΡΡΡΠ΅ ΠΈΠ·Π²Π΅ΡΡΠ½ΡΡ Π±ΡΠ΅Π½Π΄ΠΎΠ².
No replacement has been named yet for Korobov, though TASS reports it’s likely to be his deputy, Vice Admiral Igor Kostyukov, 57, who took part in Russia’s military intervention in Syria and is also under U.S. sanctions.
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