Putin Names Korobov As New Military Intelligence Chief

Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation added 2 new photos.

2 hrs · 

Министр обороны Российской Федерации генерал армии Сергей‪#‎Шойгу‬ вручил личный штандарт начальника Главного управления Генерального штаба Вооруженных Сил Российской Федерации генерал-лейтенанту Игорю Коробову.

Ранее Указом Президента Российской Федерации начальником Главного управления Генерального штаба Вооруженных Сил Российской Федерации - заместителем начальника Генерального штаба Вооруженных Сил Российской Федерации назначен генерал-лейтенант Игорь Валентинович ‪#‎Коробов‬.

The Minister of defence of the Russian Federation, general of the Army Sergei ‪#‎Shoigu‬ handed the personal standard of the chief of the office of the chief of general staff of the armed forces of the Russian Federation, Lieutenant-General Igor Korobovu.
Previously by the decree of the president of the Russian Federation, the chief of general staff of the armed forces of the Russian Federation as Vice-Chief of general staff of the armed forces of the Russian Federation appointed Lieutenant-General Igor Syman ‪#‎Korobov‬.

Translated from Russian

• Putin Names Korobov As New Military Intelligence Chief
• A Quick and Provisional GRU Update
• игорь коробов ГРУ - Google Search
• Три генерала и одна карьера
• Встреча с Владимиром Груздевым и Алексеем Дюминым • Президент России
• Still Awaiting New GRU Chief | Russian Defense Policy
• Igor Korobov GRU - Google Search
• ГРУ Генштаба возглавил генерал Коробов - Google Search
• The new head of the GRU was appointed Lieutenant-General Igor Korobov | Last news from Russia
• алексей дюмин гру - Google Search
• Замминистра обороны Алексей Дюмин назначен главой Тульской области - Телеканал «Звезда»
• ВЗГЛЯД / Новым начальником ГРУ назначен Игорь Коробов
• Министр обороны Российской Федерации генерал... - Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation
• Ъ-Новости - Игорь Коробов назначен начальником ГРУ
• Новым начальником ГРУ стал генерал Игорь Коробов — Иван Петров — Российская газета
• информационная работа стратегической разведки - Google Search
• стратегическая разведка гру - Google Search
• Стратегическая разведка — Википедия
• ГРУ Генштаба возглавил генерал Коробов - Телеканал «Звезда»
• Военная разведка РФ три недели работает без руководства 

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A Quick and Provisional GRU Update

Tuesday February 2nd, 2016 at 2:09 PM

In Moscow’s Shadows

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Update: the afternoon I wrote this, it was announced that Lt Gen Igor Korobov has been appointed. Needless to say, I take full credit for forcing the Kremlin’s hand ;). Meanwhile Dyumin, perhaps as a consolation prize, perhaps because his position at the defence ministry had thus become untenable, moves across to become acting governor of Tula. So the military win this round – but apparently not easily.

A month ago tomorrow, military intelligence chief Igor Sergun died of heart failure in the suburbs of Moscow (not in Lebanon, not anything exciting…). That the announcement of his successor would be delayed because of the long Christmas-to-Orthodox-New-Year holidays was expected. But despite a couple of times hearing suggestions that a name was about to be announced, no one yet.

It’s bad enough that we don’t even know what the agency should be called — it’s traditional form, the GRU, that even Putin uses, or the more anonymous GU (“the Main Directorate”) in official parlance? I talk a little about this in War On The Rocks here. But as the leadership vacuum continues to resist being filled, it is hard not to assume this is because the appointment is proving contentious. As near as I can tell–and all this needless ought to be taken with caution, as the people who really know aren’t going to tell–there is a three-cornered, asymmetric fight:

Steady As She Goes. The obvious stakeholders want the obvious choice: defence minister Shoigu, CoGS Gerasimov (probably) and the bulk of the GRU itself want one of Sergun’s deputies to succeed: Vyacheslav Kondrashev, Sergei Sizunov, Igor Lelin, or most likely, Igor Korobov. Obviously the new director’s interests and personality would have an impact, but essentially this is the continuity choice.

A Fork in the Road. Seemingly the least-likely option, being floated by a few senior figures within the regular Ground Forces, is one of their number. This is really to push forward their own agenda, which is to split the GRU, with one portion sticking to the “spy” stuff, and the other–taking with it the Spetsnaz commandoes–engaging in tactical reconnaissance, special ops and that kid of thing. I don’t at present see any wider constituency for this, although in such circumstances it is always possible the main candidates cancel each other out and open the way for the mutually-least-objectionable one.

Praetorians to the Fore. There has been something of a trend of late to see security apparatus insiders known to Putin, especially from the Presidential Security Service (SBP) and its parent, the Federal Guard Service (FSO) parachuted into key positions across the security sector. It could be that Putin will want to make sure a personal client is heading the GRU, in which case the obvious candidate would be Lt. Gen. Alexander Dyumin, whose strangely meteoric rise from presidential bullet-catcher to deputy defence minister in less than a year I have sketched here.

What I have to confess I don’t see any signs of, is a land-grab by any of the other intel agencies, notably SVR and FSB. The military is still not a bloc to mess with, and any such move would unite them more than anything else.

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Still Awaiting New GRU Chief

Tuesday February 2nd, 2016 at 2:08 PM

Russian Defense Policy

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On 13 January, Kommersant’s Ivan Safronov wrote that late GRU Chief General-Colonel Igor Sergun’s successor will be one of the military intelligence directorate’s current deputy chiefs:  Vyacheslav Kondrashov, Sergey Gizunov, Igor Lelin, or Igor Korobov.

General-Lieutenant Vyacheslav Viktorovich Kondrashov reportedly headed a Russian delegation that went to Cairo on an arms sales mission in late 2013.  He is likely a Middle East specialist and Arabic linguist.  He’s an old hand at the GRU headquarters.  It looks like he put on his first star over 20 years ago.  He seems like a timely choice from the GRU’s perspective, but he might not serve much longer.

Sergey Aleksandrovich Gizunov is probably a computer expert or mathematician from the GRU SIGINT apparatus.  He was chief of the Moscow-based 85th Main Center of Special Service which deciphers foreign military communications.  He’d be an unusual pick for an intelligence service that likes experienced field operators at the top.

General-Major (???) Igor Viktorovich Lelin was Russian military attache to Estonia and served for a time as deputy chief of the Defense Ministry’s Main Personnel Directorate (GUK).  He only returned to the GRU in 2014.  Lelin doesn’t seem to have much to recommend him, at least based on what little is known of his background.

Igor Korobov seems to have no information in the public domain.  Safronov’s sources call him a “serious person” and the most probable candidate to take Sergun’s chair.  Although it’s ironic, one has to agree that the lack of data on Korobov makes it utterly impossible to dismiss him as a strong possibility.

According to Safronov, the GRU bureaucracy feared having an outside chief (from the FSO or SVR) imposed upon it following Sergun’s untimely death from a heart attack in the Moscow suburbs on 3 January.  Speculation focused on one former presidential bodyguard named Aleksey Dyumin who quickly turned up as a deputy minister of defense.  So the worry may have passed.  The Genshtab and Defense Ministry now believe the PA will settle on an insider to keep continuity in this important agency.

Ten days ago an ukaz indicating President Putin’s choice was expected “soon,” but no sign of it yet.

Safronov makes the point that the GRU has been busy because of Russia’s operation in Syria.  Its IMINT and SIGINT systems, not to mention its human agent networks, have been working overtime to support Russian military and political decisionmakers.  The GRU also played a critical part in Russia’s invasion of Crimea and eastern Ukraine in 2014.

Just as post-script, we’ve seen in the last day the Financial Times report that Sergun visited Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad to relay Putin’s request that he consider stepping down.  Of course, the Kremlin denied it, but remember Putin said earlier this month that giving Bashar asylum would be easier than Edward Snowden.

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Putin Names Korobov As New Military Intelligence Chief

Tuesday February 2nd, 2016 at 1:56 PM

Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty

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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.

A spokesman for the Defense Ministry said on February 2 that GRU deputy head Korobov had been promoted by a presidential decree to lead the highly secretive spy agency.
Korobov’s predecessor, Igor Sergun, died on January 3 at the age of 58.

He had held the position since 2011.

Mark Galeotti, an expert on Russia's security services and a professor at New York University, said shortly before the announcement of Korobov’s appointment that Korobov was a favorite to succeed Sergun.

Galeotti described Korobov as the "continuity choice."

The appointment comes amid an upsurge in Russian military activity abroad.

Новым начальником ГРУ стал генерал Игорь Коробов — Иван Петров — Российская газета

Tuesday February 2nd, 2016 at 1:33 PM

Российская Газета

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Генерал-лейтенант Игорь Коробов назначен новым начальником Главного разведывательного управления (ГРУ) Генерального штаба Вооруженных сил России.

Министр обороны РФ Сергей Шойгу в минувший понедельник вручил генералу Коробову личный штандарт начальника ГРУ.

"Церемония состоялась в штаб-квартире ГРУ. В пятницу Коробов займет свой новый рабочий кабинет", - передает ТАСС со ссылкой на источник в военном ведомстве. Позже в Минобороны подтвердили эту информацию.

Ранее некоторые СМИ называли именно Игоря Коробова наиболее вероятным кандидатом на освободившийся пост главы спецслужбы. На тот момент генерал являлся одним из четырех заместителей начальника ГРУ. В управлении он курировал вопросы стратегической разведки.
Предыдущий начальник ГРУ генерал Игорь Сергун скончался в начале этого года в возрасте 58 лет.
Справка "РГ" 

Главное разведывательное управление Генштаба Вооруженных Сил РФ - центральный орган управления военной разведкой в Вооруженных Силах РФ. В соответствии с законом "О внешней разведке" ГРУ решает ряд задач военно-политического, военно-технического, собственно военного и военно-экономического характера.

Разведчики ГРУ занимаются всеми видами разведки в интересах вооруженных сил, в том числе агентурной, радиотехнической, космической, а также разведывательно-диверсионными операциями. 

ГРУ имеет возможность вести космическую разведку и этими услугами по запросу часто пользуются Федеральной службы безопасности СБ и СВР РФ. Кроме того, ГРУ располагает довольно широкой агентурной сетью на территории зарубежных стран. Спецназ ГРУ способен проводить специальные операции на территории противника и в районах боевых действий. 

Помимо ведения стратегической и оперативной разведки ГРУ с момента создания (5 ноября 1918 года) вменялась работа по добыванию военно-технической информации, сведений о научных достижениях в военной области у потенциальных противников и наиболее развитых стран.

Современная структура и численность Главного разведывательного управления ГШ России составляет государственную тайну. Начальник ГРУ подчиняется только начальнику Генштаба и министру обороны.

Подписывайтесь на основные новости "РГ" в Telegram telegram.me/rgrunews

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