Igor Sergun facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Colonel General
Igor Sergun
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| И́горь Дми́триевич Сергу́н | |
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| Director of Russian Military Intelligence | |
| In office 26 December 2011 – 3 January 2016 |
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| Preceded by | Alexander Shlyakhturov |
| Succeeded by | Igor Korobov |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Igor Dmitrievich Sergun
28 March 1957 Podolsk, Moscow Oblast, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |
| Died | 3 January 2016 (aged 58) Moscow, Russia |
| Awards |  Order of Military Merit Order of Honour Medal for Battle Merit Medal "In Commemoration of the 850th Anniversary of Moscow" Jubilee Medal "60 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR" Jubilee Medal "70 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR" Medal "For Impeccable Service" |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Soviet Union (before 1991) Russia (1991–2016) |
| Branch/service | Armed Forces of the Russian Federation |
| Years of service | 1973–2016 |
| Rank | Colonel general |
| Battles/wars | Cold War First Chechen War Kosovo War Second Chechen War Annexation of Crimea Russian military intervention in the Syrian Civil War |
Igor Dmitrievich Sergun (Russian: И́горь Дми́триевич Сергу́н; 28 March 1957 – 3 January 2016) was an important military leader in Russia. He was the head of Russia's military intelligence service, called the GRU. He led this group from 2011 until he passed away in January 2016. He reached the high military rank of colonel general.
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About Igor Sergun's Life
Igor Sergun was born on March 28, 1957, in Podolsk, a city near Moscow. He went to the Moscow Suvorov Military School and later the Moscow Higher Military Command School. He began his military service in 1973 and joined the GRU in 1984.
Not much information is publicly known about his direct involvement in battles. This includes the Soviet war in Afghanistan in the 1980s or the Chechen Wars in the 1990s.
In 1998, Sergun held the rank of colonel. He worked as a military representative in Tirana, Albania.
On December 26, 2011, Sergun was chosen to be the Director of the GRU. This organization had received a new name in 2010. He also became a Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces.
He was promoted to Lieutenant-General in August 2012. Then, in February 2015, he became a Colonel General.
In 2014, Sergun was placed on sanction lists by the EU and the U.S. This was because he was seen as responsible for the actions of GRU officers in Eastern Ukraine.
He was last seen by the media in November 2015. He was part of a Russian group meeting with King Abdullah II of Jordan.
Igor Sergun as GRU Director
Changes in Russian Military Intelligence
The GRU faced some challenges before Sergun became its director. There were talks about its performance in the Russo-Georgian War. Also, there was competition among Russia's different intelligence services.
A big reform of the Russian Armed Forces began in the late 2000s. This led to the GRU becoming smaller and less powerful. Its previous chief was even dismissed because he disagreed with these changes.
However, things started to improve for the military. After the Minister of Defense was replaced in November 2012, military spending increased. Special Forces units, known as Spetsnaz, were given priority for improvements.
GRU's Role in Ukraine
When Sergun became the GRU chief, there were large protests in Russia. These protests were organized online. Later, the GRU's operations became very important during the annexation of Crimea.
The quick and effective actions of the "little green men" showed that the GRU's operations had improved a lot. These were soldiers without clear markings who took control of Crimea.
Under Sergun, the GRU's Spetsnaz troops became very important. They helped local groups in the conflict in Ukraine. The GRU also used drones for scouting and guiding artillery attacks. They were also thought to have interfered with Ukrainian communications.
Sergun oversaw secret units that worked undercover. These units were hard for other countries to counter. They combined small-scale fighting with larger sieges. This helped turn military actions into political gains.
Working with U.S. Intelligence
Before relations between the U.S. and Russia worsened in 2014, Sergun tried to improve contact between their intelligence agencies. From 2012 to 2013, there were meetings between U.S. and Russian intelligence chiefs. These meetings happened in different cities across Russia.
In June 2013, Sergun welcomed Michael Flynn to the GRU headquarters. Flynn was the Director of the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency at the time. Flynn gave a speech to GRU officers and answered their questions.
Igor Sergun's Death and Tributes
On January 4, 2016, the Russian president's website announced Sergun's death. President Vladimir Putin sent his condolences to Sergun's family. The news agency Interfax reported that Sergun "died unexpectedly on 3 January 2016, aged 59." The exact place and cause of death were not mentioned.
The BBC reported that the "circumstances of his death [were] not clear." Experts said that under Sergun, the GRU had "recovered some of its former prestige." This was after the service had faced big cuts before he took over.
A Russian newspaper, Komsomolskaya Pravda, reported that he died in Moscow from a heart attack. A source from the General Staff told another Russian daily that Sergun left behind a "very effective and balanced directorate."
In May 2016, he was given the title of Hero of the Russian Federation after his death.
Questions About Where He Died
Two days after his death, a U.S. intelligence company called Stratfor questioned the official story. They mentioned an unconfirmed report that he had died on New Year's Day in Lebanon. In March 2016, a Lebanese newspaper also suggested this theory. It claimed Sergun was killed during a secret mission in Beirut.
His death was mentioned in a USA Today article in May 2017. It was listed as one of many "high-profile" sudden deaths of Russian officials. The Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said these reports were just rumors.
In January 2017, Michael Flynn, a U.S. National Security Advisor, was questioned by the FBI. He said he called the Russian Ambassador after Sergun's death in Lebanon. However, the Russian Defense Ministry denied this story. They called it "conspiracy nonsense."
Awards and Honors
Igor Sergun received many awards for his service:
- Order of Military Merit
- Order of Honour
- Medal for Battle Merit
- Medal "In Commemoration of the 850th Anniversary of Moscow"
- Jubilee Medal "60 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR"
- Jubilee Medal "70 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR"
- Medal "For Impeccable Service", 1st class
- Medal of the Order "For Merit", 2nd class
- Medal "For strengthening of the state system of protection of information", 2nd class
- "Medal "Participant of Operation March-Shot Bosnia-Kosovo 12 June 1999"
Images for kids
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3rd Spetsnaz Brigade on parade, May 9, 2011.
See also
In Spanish: Ígor Sergún para niños
