Head of Russian military intelligence ‘dies following serious illness’

The head of Russian military intelligence, which stands accused of being responsible for the Salisbury Novichok attack, has died, it has been reported.

General Colonel Igor Korobov is said to have died on Wednesday after suffering a “serious illness”.

The 63-year-old was head of the GRU, two officers of which are accused of travelling to the UK and attempting to assassinate Sergei Skripal, a former colonel in the agency.

The Kremlin-backed news wire Tass said it had been told of his death by a source in the Russian Defence Ministry.

“Head of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Deputy Chief of General Staff Igor Korobov died on November 21 from a serious illness,” the source told Tass.

Gen Korobov had worked in military intelligence since 1985 and in 2016 president Vladimir Putin made him head of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces – also known as the GRU.

The same year he was made the subject of US sanctions for “acts for or on behalf of the GRU”.