Putin appointed a new head of the GRU – RBC

Sergey Shoigu presenting personal standard of Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Lieutenant-General Igor Korobov Photo: Ministry Defence of the Russian Federation

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on the appointment of the Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant-General Igor Korobov, deputy died in early January, the head of the GRU Igor Sergunov

According to the press service of the Defense Ministry, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu handed Korobov personal standard of Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces.

Earlier today the appointment of Korobov head of the GRU (the informal name of the Chief of the General Staff), citing informed TASS and sources reported “Interfax”. In mid-January, “Kommersant”, citing informed sources, wrote that Korobov, who previously served as deputy head of the GRU – the most likely successor, who died in January 2016 Igor Sergunov.

The head of the GRU Sergun died on 3 January but after a few days of reconnaissance and analytical agency Stratfor reported that Sergun killed died January 1 Lebanon. A spokesman for the Russian president, Dmitry Peskov, commenting on the report, saying that it “is not so».

Later, the Financial Times reported that Sergun on behalf of Putin’s a few weeks before his death, went to Damascus. Sergun allegedly handed Assad Putin’s offer to resign, but the Syrian president has rejected such a possibility. A spokesman for the head of state Peskov denied this information.