Head of Russian Military Intelligence Dies at 62 After Grave Illness

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Igor Korobov, the chief of the Russian Main Intelligence Directorate, commonly referred to as the GRU, died at the age of 62 after a serious illness on Wednesday, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

"Col. Gen. Igor Valentinovich Korobov, the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces and the deputy head of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, died at the age of 62 after a siege of grave illness," the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

The ministry extended its condolences to Korobov’s friends and family. Korobov assumed the position of the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate in early 2016.

In September, Washington added Igor Korobov to a blacklist under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).

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