The head of the Russian military intelligence agency the GRU, which has been blamed for the Salisbury nerve agent attack, has died, the Kremlin has announced.
Colonel General Igor Korobov’s death was announced by the country’s defence ministry on Wednesday night, Russia’s TASS news agency reported.
It comes after the GRU chief, 63, was reported to be in sudden “ill health” after a confrontation with Vladimir Putin in October over the Salisbury poisoning.
Korobov 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.
In September, Theresa May said the attack was part of a “pattern of Russian behaviour that persistently seeks to undermine our security and that of our allies around the world”.
The Prime Minister promised further action to combat the GRU, and against Russia more generally.
The Kremlin-backed news wire Tass said it had been told of Korobov's 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.
Korobov was hailed as a "true son of Russia" and had led the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces - also known as the GRU - for several years.
The agency is believed to be Russia's largest foreign intelligence outfit, with agents deployed all over the world, and is suspected of using cyber warfare and disinformation campaigns to achieve its goals.
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".
