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Russia's chief of military intelligence, Igor Korobov, dies after illness Russia's chief of military intelligence, Igor Korobov, dies after illness
(about 7 hours later)
The head of the GRU, Russia’s military intelligence agency, has died after a “serious and long illness”, the Kremlin has announced. Igor Korobov, the head of the GRU, Russia’s military intelligence agency, has died after a serious and long illness, Moscow’s defence ministry has announced.
The defence ministry said General Colonel Igor Korobov, 62, who has run the spy agency since 2016, was “a wonderful person, a faithful son of Russia and a patriot of his homeland.” It did not give further details about his death. General Colonel Korobov, 62, reportedly started feeling unwell in mid-September, after a meeting with Vladimir Putin and a wave of criticism towards the agency for a series of failings, widely exposed in both Russian and foreign media.
The agency is believed to be Russia’s largest foreign intelligence outfit, and stands accused over the Novichok attack in Salisbury that targeted former GRU colonel Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia. The attempt, notable for its blunders, has strained ties between Russia and the UK. The defence ministry said Korobov, who had run the spy agency since 2016, was “a wonderful person, a faithful son of Russia and a patriot of his homeland”. It did not give further details about his death, beyond saying he had suffered a serious and long illness.
The ministry statement said: “The leadership of the Defence Ministry of the Russian Federation, General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (GSA) and Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation inform with great sadness that on 21 November 2018, after a serious and long illness, head of the (GRU), deputy chief of the GSA Colonel General Korobov Igor Valentinovich passed away at the age of 63.” His demise elicited scepticism from some commentators – hardly surprising, according to Pavel Luzin, defence industry expert at the Perm State University, given that his predecessor also died in the job two years ago.
“The memory of a wonderful person, a true son of Russia, a patriot of the Fatherland Colonel General Korobov Igor Valentinovich will forever remain in our hearts. We express condolences to his family and friends.” “Igor Sergun died in 2016 at the relatively young age of 58, and there were suggestions that he died not in the Moscow region, like it was declared, but in Lebanon,” Luzin said.
Korobov had worked in military intelligence since 1985 and was made chief of the GRU in 2016 by president Vladimir Putin. The same year he was made the subject of US sanctions for “acts for or on behalf of the GRU”.
In October he was reported to have fallen ill after coming under heavy criticism for failings by the agency.
Michael Carpenter, a Russia adviser for Barack Obama’s administration, tweeted on Thursday: “His predecessor died in 2016 of a heart attack. Life expectancy for incumbents of this job is pretty low, but then so is the median life expectancy in Russia.”Michael Carpenter, a Russia adviser for Barack Obama’s administration, tweeted on Thursday: “His predecessor died in 2016 of a heart attack. Life expectancy for incumbents of this job is pretty low, but then so is the median life expectancy in Russia.”
The finger of blame was pointed squarely at the GRU following the poisoning of the Skripals in March. The botched assassination attempt led to the death of Dawn Sturgess, who, along with partner Charlie Rowley, fell ill after handling a container contaminated with the nerve agent in June. Yet Luzin and other analysts who study the Kremlin and Russia’s security services warned against conspiracy theories.
In September, Theresa May revealed that two Russian nationals had been identified as suspects over the attack. British spy agencies concluded the men, who travelled to the UK under the aliases of Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, were GRU officers. “The cause of death was cancer. [The fact that Korobov was ill] has been well known for a while,” said Vladimir Frolov, a prominent foreign policy analyst. “There are no conspiracies there.”
The prime minister described the agency as a “highly disciplined organisation with a well-established chain of command”. Gennady Gudkov, former State Duma lawmaker who spent more than a decade serving in the Soviet and then Russian security services, echoed his sentiment. “I don’t believe anyone would be able to eliminate the head of the GRU.”
Korobov had worked in military intelligence since 1985 and was made chief of the GRU in 2016 by Putin. The same year he was made the subject of US sanctions for “acts for or on behalf of the GRU”.
In October he was reported to have fallen ill after coming under heavy criticism for failings by the agency.
Korobov has run the spy agency – believed to be Russia’s largest foreign intelligence outfit – since 2016. In recent months, the GRU has come under heavy criticism for a number of failings, including the botched attempt to assassinate former GRU colonel Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, in Salisbury in March, as well as the embarrassing unmasking of several Russian agents carrying out a cyber-attack on the headquarters of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in the Netherlands.
The Salisbury incident has strained ties between Russia and the UK.
The botched assassination attempt led to the death of Dawn Sturgess, who, along with partner Charlie Rowley, fell ill after handling a container contaminated with the nerve agent in June.
In September, the UK prime minister, Theresa May, revealed that two Russian nationals had been identified as suspects over the attack. British spy agencies concluded that the men, who travelled to the UK under the aliases of Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, were GRU officers.
The prime minister described the agency as a “highly disciplined organisation with a wellestablished chain of command”.
The two suspects’ true identities were revealed after a widely dismissed television denial, in which the two suspects claimed they were simply tourists visiting the cathedral city.The two suspects’ true identities were revealed after a widely dismissed television denial, in which the two suspects claimed they were simply tourists visiting the cathedral city.
Investigative website Bellingcat said it had established Boshirov’s true identity, reporting he was actually Colonel Anatoliy Chepiga, a highly decorated officer in the GRU. Bellingcat later said Petrov’s real identity was Alexander Mishkin, a military doctor in the GRU.Investigative website Bellingcat said it had established Boshirov’s true identity, reporting he was actually Colonel Anatoliy Chepiga, a highly decorated officer in the GRU. Bellingcat later said Petrov’s real identity was Alexander Mishkin, a military doctor in the GRU.
Both men had been awarded the Hero of the Russian Federation from Putin, the investigators said. The Bellingcat claims followed the president’s assertion that the men were civilians and had been discounted as members of his security network.Both men had been awarded the Hero of the Russian Federation from Putin, the investigators said. The Bellingcat claims followed the president’s assertion that the men were civilians and had been discounted as members of his security network.
Skripal was given refuge in the UK in 2010 after a spy swap in which 10 Russian sleeper agents were expelled from the US. Russia has continuously denied attempting to kill him.Skripal was given refuge in the UK in 2010 after a spy swap in which 10 Russian sleeper agents were expelled from the US. Russia has continuously denied attempting to kill him.
Press Association contributed to this report In early October, Russia was accused of attempting to carry out a cyber-attack on the headquarters of the international chemical weapons watchdog just weeks after the Salisbury attack.
Four Russian intelligence officers, believed to have been part of a GRU “cleanup” unit for earlier failed operations, travelled to the Hague on diplomatic passports in April after unsuccessfully launching a remote attack. They were caught and expelled from the country. Evidence of their connection to the GRU included a taxi receipt for the ride from the GRU headquarters in Moscow to the Sheremetyevo airport.
According to a report by the investigative journalist Sergey Kanev, in October Russia’s defence ministry held a meeting dedicated to the failings of the agency. Behind closed doors, GRU operatives were reportedly called “imbeciles” and accused of “thick incompetence” and “extreme sloppiness”.
Kanev’s sources suggested the GRU was about to undergo a major overhaul, and that Korobov could be replaced by the end of the year.
Vice-admiral Igor Kostyukov, Korobov’s first deputy, has already assumed the post of acting head of the GRU, the RBC news website reported on Thursday, citing sources in the Defence Ministry.
Kostyukov, 57, had been carrying out duties of the acting head of the agency for quite a while, the report said, due to Korobov’s illness. Kostyukov represented the agency at its centenary in early November, RBC pointed out.
Just like Korobov, Kostyukov was made the subject of US sanctions for “acts for or on behalf of the GRU” in 2016, as well as in 2018 for allegedly meddling with the US presidential election. In 2017, Kostyukov was awarded the Hero of the Russian Federation.
He is unlikely to bring any significant changes to the agency, Gudkov and Luzin said. “During the summer we were all expecting a major overhaul of all security services – the FSB, the Interior Ministry … But nothing happened, everyone remained in their place, which means that Putin is not planning any serious reforms any time soon,” Gudkov said.
The Press Association contributed to this report
RussiaRussia
Sergei SkripalSergei Skripal
EspionageEspionage
Vladimir Putin
EuropeEurope
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