Moscow
\nThe head of the Russian military intelligence agency linked to a series of notorious operations abroad has died after a long illness, the defence ministry said on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Igor Korobov, 62, had headed the military\u2019s Main Intelligence Directorate since 2016 and was the target of US sanctions.<\/p>\n
He died on Wednesday from a \u201clong and serious illness,\u201d the ministry said in a statement carried by Russian news agencies.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe dear memory of this great man, a faithful Russian son and a patriot of the Motherland… will remain forever in our hearts,\u201d the ministry said.<\/p>\n
His successor has yet to be announced.<\/p>\n
The West has accused the powerful agency of a number of attacks on foreign soil including the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia with a nerve agent in Britain last March.<\/p>\n
Washington has said the GRU was directly involved in interfering in the 2016 US election through \u201ccyber-enabled activities\u201d and the Treasury Department included Korobov on a sanctions list.<\/p>\n
Korobov did not participate in a gala marking the centenary of the service in early November when Russian President Vladimir Putin heaped praise on the GRU.<\/p>\n
Korobov\u2019s first deputy Igor Kostyukov reportedly presided over the ceremony.<\/p>\n
Korobov, who joined military intelligence in 1985, was made a Hero of Russia for his service.<\/p>\n
His predecessor, Igor Sergun, died unexpectedly in early January 2016.<\/p>\n
The GRU is one of Moscow\u2019s three spy agencies, along with the SVR foreign intelligence agency and the FSB security service.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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