generalspeaking

Saturday, November 24, 2018

Rest In Peace, Igor Korobov

"Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences to the friends and family of [Igor Korobov] in connection with his death."
"He died on November 21 after a serious and long-standing illness."
Kremlin statement

Modernisation of the GRU headquarters in Moscow was completed in 2006 Reuters

Falling out of favour in a regime like Russia's under a ruthless autocrat like Vladimir Putin can be deadly. A man evidently not known to have suffered any kind of chronic illness, much less a sudden illness is suddenly chronically dead. Although Mr. Putin is cocksure of himself, arrogant to the core he doesn't appreciate being embarrassed. And the botched assassination attempt of former Russian intelligence service member Sergei Skripal and his daughter in a quiet, historical British enclave was too amateurish for his liking. Having world attention focused on yet another clandestine Russian exploit gone wrong was a nuisance.

And since the head of the country's military intelligence service was responsible, it makes sense he would be dismissed from his leadership position a the GRU. Vladimir Putin knows all there is to know about such institutions since he was part of the predecessor institution, the KGB in his apprentice years as a Russian thug. He, however, is now the 'forever and ever' President of Russia an award for cunning manipulation that keeps on paying off, while the former head of the GRU is now a 'former' everything. That truly is a forever penalty.

Gen Korobov served in the Russian air force before becoming GRU chief (Aug 2017 pic) AFP

Rumours can be very informative and rumour has it that the 62-year-old GRU chief's illness struck him suddenly. All it took was a serious conversation with Vladimir Putin when Mr. Korobov was called to the President's Kremlin office for that very purpose. It must have been a particularly grim conversation one in which the president had plenty to say and Mr. Korobov listened as he was meant to do, for what might he have been permitted to explain in his defence, after all? Botched is botched.

The world now knows, however, that Mr. Korobov was a wonderful person, a true and faithful son of Russia, a patriot of the country. And we know that because this is how he was described post-mortem by the Russian Defence Ministry. And who is prepared to argue any of that? Although it is unknown when exactly Mr. Korobov first fell ill, when he did, Vice Admiral Igor Kostyukov filled the position temporarily. And now he may be appointed to it permanently. Fittingly, he has been sanctioned by the U.S.

That's because of his having been linked to GRU hacking and election interference in the United States. And for a clandestine outfit whose expertise in intelligence operations sends shivers of fear down some spines, another embarrassment ensued when Bellingcat and The Insideer (a Russian website) made claim to having identified yet another GRU officer involved in a Montenegro coup attempt in 2016. For a professional intelligence group the GRU disappoints many Russians who would prefer to fear rather than jeer their nation's military intelligence body.