{{Short description|Russian intelligence agent (1956–2018)}} {{family name hatnote|Valentinovich|Korobov|lang=Eastern Slavic}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = [[three star rank|Colonel General]] | name = Igor Korobov | native_name = {{nobold|Игорь Коробов}} | native_name_lang = ru | image = Igor Korobov (2017).jpg | image_size = 200 | caption = Official portrait, 2017 | birth_name = Igor Valentinovich Korobov | birth_date = {{Birth date|1956|08|03|df=y}} | birth_place = [[Vyazma]], [[Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic|Russian SFSR]], [[Soviet Union]] | death_date = {{nobr|{{Death date and age|df=y|2018|11|21|1956|08|03}}}} | death_place = Moscow, [[Russia]] | office = [[GRU (Russian Federation)|Director of Russian Military Intelligence]] | term_start = 2 February 2016 | term_end = 21 November 2018 | 1blankname = {{nobr|[[Minister of Defence (Russia)|Defence Minister]]}} | 1namedata = [[Sergei Shoigu]] | predecessor = [[Igor Sergun]] | successor = [[Igor Kostyukov]] | nickname = | allegiance = {{flag|Soviet Union}}<br>{{RUS}} | branch = [[Soviet Air Force]]<br>[[Russian Air Force]] | branch_label = Branch | service_years = 1973–2018 | service_years_label = Service years | rank = [[Colonel General]] | servicenumber = | unit = | commands = | battles = {{tree list}} *[[Syrian civil war]] **[[Russian intervention in the Syrian civil war|Russian intervention]] {{tree list/end}} | battles_label = Conflicts | awards = {{Hero of the Russian Federation}} | relations = | laterwork = }} [[Colonel General]] '''Igor Valentinovich Korobov''' ({{langx|ru|И́горь Валенти́нович Ко́робов}}; 3 August 1956 – 21 November 2018) was the Chief of the [[GRU (Russian Federation)|Main Directorate]] of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Russia's [[military intelligence]] agency previously known as the GRU.
==Early life== Igor Korobov was born in [[Vyazma]], a town in Russia's [[Smolensk Oblast]], on 3 August 1956.<ref name="OFAC">{{cite news |title=Issuance of Amended Executive Order 13694; Cyber-Related Sanctions Designations |publisher=[[United States Department of the Treasury]] |date=29 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161229210346/https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/OFAC-Enforcement/Pages/20161229.aspx |archive-date=29 December 2016 |quote=KOROBOV, Igor (a.k.a. KOROBOV, Igor Valentinovich); DOB 03 Aug 1956; nationality Russia; Passport 100119726 (Russia); alt. Passport 100115101 (Russia); Chief of GRU (individual) [CYBER2] (Linked To: MAIN INTELLIGENCE DIRECTORATE). |url=https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/OFAC-Enforcement/Pages/20161229.aspx |author=Office of Foreign Assets Control |author-link=Office of Foreign Assets Control}}</ref><ref name="MoDBio">{{cite news|url=http://structure.mil.ru/management/details.htm?id=12076428@SD_Employee |language=Russian |publisher=[[Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161230062052/http://structure.mil.ru/management/details.htm?id=12076428%40SD_Employee |archive-date=30 December 2016 |title=Коробов Игорь Валентинович |url-status=dead}}</ref> In 1977, Korobov graduated with honors from the [[Stavropol Higher Military Aviation School for Pilots and Navigators]], [[North Caucasus Military District]], as an officer in the [[Soviet Air Forces]].<ref name="MoDBio" />
==Career and death== Korobov served as head of the Strategic Intelligence Directorate (''Upravlenie strategicheskoi razvedky'').<ref>{{cite magazine |magazine=[[Jane's Defence Weekly]] |first=Bruce |last=Jones |title=New Russian military intelligence chief appointed |quote=The appointment comes one month after the sudden death of Lt Gen Korobov's predecessor at the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff (Glavnoye Razvedyvatel'noye Upravleniye), General Igor Dmitrievich Sergun. Prior to the appointment, Lt Gen Korobov was a first deputy director within the organisation, responsible for strategic intelligence. He also acted as caretaker leader after Gen Sergun's death. |date=4 February 2016 |url=http://www.janes.com/article/57724/new-russian-military-intelligence-chief-appointed |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161229211336/http://www.janes.com/article/57724/new-russian-military-intelligence-chief-appointed |archive-date=29 December 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://warontherocks.com/2016/02/what-putins-security-appointments-say-about-how-russia-works/ |quote=From the first, it was clear that all the main stakeholders — Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Chief of the General Staff Valeri Gerasimov, and the GRU hierarchy itself — favored the promotion of one of Sergun’s deputies: Vyacheslav Kondrashev, Sergei Sizunov, Igor Lelin, and Igor Korobov. Of them all, Korobov, head of the Strategic Intelligence Directorate (USR: Upravlenie strategicheskoi razvedky) was clearly the front-runner. |title=What Putin's Security Appointments Say About How Russia Works |first=Mark |last=Galeotti |publisher=War on the Rocks |date=9 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161229205959/http://warontherocks.com/2016/02/what-putins-security-appointments-say-about-how-russia-works/ |archive-date=29 December 2016}}</ref> He was appointed by president [[Vladimir Putin]] to head the military intelligence directorate (GU) following the sudden death of [[Igor Sergun]] in January 2016.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-putin-korobov-new-gru-chief-military-intelligence/27528279.html |title=Putin Names Korobov As New Military Intelligence Chief |date=2 February 2016 |quote=President Vladimir Putin has appointed Lieutenant General Igor Korobov to head the Russian military intelligence agency, known as the GRU, following the death of his predecessor in early January. |publisher=[[Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161229205621/http://www.rferl.org/a/russia-putin-korobov-new-gru-chief-military-intelligence/27528279.html |archive-date=29 December 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |quote=The U.S. sanctions include GRU General Lieutenant Igor Korobov, who took over as Russia’s military intelligence chief early this year after his predecessor died while on the job. |newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |accessdate=29 December 2016 |date=29 December 2016 |title=U.S. Sanctions Russia Over Election Hacking; Russia Threatens to Retaliate |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-punishes-russia-over-election-hacking-with-sanctions-1483039178 |first1=Carol E. |last1=Lee |first2=Paul |last2=Sonne}}</ref>
On 29 December 2016, Korobov was one of the individuals sanctioned by the [[United States Department of the Treasury]] for "malicious cyber-enabled activities" threatening the national security of the [[United States of America|United States]].<ref name="OFAC" /><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/29/us/politics/russia-election-hacking-sanctions.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |quote=Mr. Obama used that order to immediately impose sanctions on four Russian intelligence officials: Igor Valentinovich Korobov, the current chief of a military intelligence agency, the G.R.U., and three deputies: Sergey Aleksandrovich Gizunov, the deputy chief of the G.R.U.; Igor Olegovich Kostyukov, a first deputy chief, and Vladimir Stepanovich Alekseyev, also a first deputy chief of the G.R.U. |first=David E. |last=Sanger |accessdate=29 December 2016 |title=Obama Strikes Back at Russia for Election Hacking |date=29 December 2016 }}</ref> In May 2017, by a "closed" [[Decree of the President of Russia|Decree of the Russian President]], Colonel-General Korobov was awarded the [[Hero of the Russian Federation]] for courage and heroism displayed in the performance of military duty. Nevertheless, he officially visited the U.S., along with other Russia's top security chiefs, at the end of January 2018.<ref>[http://tass.com/world/988213 US suspends sanctions against Russian security chiefs during their visit to Washington] [[TASS]], 2 February 2018.</ref>
Korobov died on 21 November 2018, "after a long and serious illness", according to sources in the Russian defence ministry cited by official news agencies.<ref>[https://tvzvezda.ru/news/forces/content/201811220142-fmoq.htm Умер начальник ГУ ГШ РФ Игорь Коробов] tvzvezda.ru, 22 November 2018.</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Источник: умер начальник Главного управления Генштаба ВС РФ Игорь Коробов |url=https://tass.ru/armiya-i-opk/5820117 |agency=[[TASS]] |date=22 November 2018}}</ref> Korobov's death followed a few months after the badly bungled [[poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal]], widely attributed in the West to Korobov's GRU. GRU defector [[Viktor Suvorov]] said that while he had no knowledge, "My spy instinct tells me that Korobov was murdered. Everyone sitting inside GRU would understand this, 125%." According to Suvorov, Korobov would have been killed to eliminate a witness who might easily defect.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/dec/29/ex-soviet-spy-viktor-suvorov |title='Will they forgive me? No': ex-Soviet spy Viktor Suvorov speaks out |newspaper=The Guardian |date=29 December 2018 |author=Luke Harding}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist|2}}
==External links== {{Commons category-inline}}
{{s-start}} {{s-off}} {{s-bef|before=[[Igor Sergun]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[GRU (Russian Federation)|GRU]] Chief|years=2 February 2016 – 21 November 2018}} {{s-aft|after=[[Igor Kostyukov]]}} {{s-end}} {{Heads of GRU}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Korobov, Igor}} [[Category:1956 births]] [[Category:2018 deaths]] [[Category:Burials at Troyekurovskoye Cemetery]] [[Category:GRU Chiefs]] [[Category:Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia alumni]] [[Category:Recipients of the Order of Courage (Russia)]]