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Russian military intelligence chief Igor Korobov died after his agency was charged with activities against the United States.
Press Service of the Russian Ministry of Defense / AP
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Press Service of the Russian Ministry of Defense / AP
Russian military intelligence chief Igor Korobov died after his agency was charged with activities against the United States.
Press Service of the Russian Ministry of Defense / AP
Igor Korobov, the head of Russian military intelligence, has died as a result of the growing accusation that his agency, known as the GRU, was at the root of subversive attacks against Western countries. .
The Russian Defense Minister said that Mr. Korobov, 62, died Wednesday after a "serious and long illness". Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu described the army general as the "faithful son of Russia" and "patriot of the fatherland". He is survived by his wife and two daughters, according to the TASS news agency.
Although Korobov was hardly a name known even in Russia, in 2016, the US Treasury listed on the list of sanctions for "significant malicious activities related to cyber-activity". These restrictions, however, did not prevent Korobov from traveling to Washington with other senior Russian security officials for secret talks in January, as reported by the Washington Post.
Less than two months later, former GRU officer Sergei Skripal, a double exile agent, was poisoned with his daughter by a rare neurotoxic agent in Salisbury, England. British Prime Minister Theresa May has accused the GRU of being behind this attack.
The Russian authorities have consistently denied any involvement in Skripal intoxication or foreign interference in the elections, claiming that the charges were fabricated to harm Russia and justify additional sanctions. On the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the GRU earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated the agency for its "unique abilities".
Korobov took over the GRU in January 2016 after the death of his predecessor, Igor Sergun, at age 58, in unclear circumstances. His death first became public after the Kremlin issued Putin's condolences to the family of Sergun.
Korobov has not been replaced yet, although TASS says it will probably be his deputy, Vice Admiral Igor Kostyukov, 57, who took part in the Russian military intervention in Syria and who is also sanctioned by the United States.
