Igor Kostyukov
Igor Kostyukov | |
|---|---|
Игорь Костюков | |
.jpg) Official portrait, 2012 | |
| Director of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces | |
| Assumed office 22 November 2018 | |
| President | Vladimir Putin |
| Defence Minister | Sergey Shoygu Andrey Belousov |
| Preceded by | Igor Korobov |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Igor Olegovich Kostyukov 21 February 1961 (age 65) |
Awards | Hero of Russian Federation |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Soviet Union (to 1991) Russia |
| Branch/service | Soviet Navy Russian Navy |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Commands | Main Directorate of the General Staff |
| Battles/wars | |
Admiral Igor Olegovich Kostyukov[a] (born 21 February 1961) is a Russian naval officer who has served as the director of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces (formerly known as the GRU) since 2018. After graduating from the Military Diplomatic Academy of the Soviet Armed Forces, he spent much of his career in the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU).
Early life and education
[edit]Kostyukov was born on 21 February 1961 in the Amur Oblast, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union. His education included a naval school and the Military Diplomatic Academy of the Soviet Armed Forces (present-day Military University of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation).[1]
Military career
[edit]After graduating from the Military Diplomatic Academy, he served in the Main Intelligence Directorate, or GRU (since 2010 known as the Main Directorate, or GU). In 2004 Kostyukov was a military attaché at the Russian embassy in Athens, Greece. In 2017 he was awarded the title Hero of the Russian Federation for his role in the Russian intervention in the Syrian civil war.[1] He eventually became the deputy director of the Main Directorate, with the rank of vice admiral.[1][2]
Director of the Main Directorate
[edit]Kostyukov was appointed the acting director of the Main Directorate on 22 November 2018 following the death of his predecessor Igor Korobov and is a noted hardliner. This posting also made him the first naval officer in the history of the GRU to lead the organization.[3][4] He was further promoted to the rank of admiral in 2019.[2] He was in charge of security during President Vladimir Putin's visit to Syria in January 2020.[1]
On 25 March 2022, former Ukrainian Minister of Internal Affairs Arsen Avakov claimed that Kostyukov and Russian defence minister Sergey Shoigu had suffered a sudden illness, stating, "The symptoms of both are exactly the same - heartburn, shortness of breath."[5] The Moscow Times considered Kostyukov to have disappeared from public view in mid-March together with other senior siloviki (key Russian security officials), including Sergey Shoigu, Viktor Zolotov and Valery Gerasimov.[6]
In January and February 2026, he led the Russian delegation in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, for peace negotiations with Ukraine, where he met with Rustem Umerov and Kyrylo Budanov.[7] In April 2026, he was present at the meeting between Vladimir Putin and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.[8]
Personal life
[edit]In December 2016 he was sanctioned by the United States over alleged Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections.[1] In March 2022, during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Kostyukov was placed on a European Union "blacklist".[9]
Awards and decorations
[edit]
Hero of the Russian Federation[1]
Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" (2nd class)[1]
Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" (3rd class)[1]
Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" (4th class)[1]
Order of Alexander Nevsky[1]
Order of Courage[1]
Order of Honour[1]
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Костюков Игорь Олегович". RBK Group (in Russian). Retrieved 2 May 2026.
- 1 2 "Костюков, Игорь Олегович". TASS. Retrieved 2 May 2026.
- ↑ "First naval officer nominated to head Russia's GRU". TASS. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
- ↑ "Vice Adm. Igor Kostyukov becomes head of Russia's military intelligence - source (Part 2)". interfax. Archived from the original on 1 January 2019. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
- ↑ "Аваков повідомив про погіршення здоров'я Шойгу та заступника начальника генштабу ЗС РФ: "Симптоми в обох абсолютно однакові"". 25 March 2022.
- ↑ "Not only Shoigu disappeared from public view, but other key security officials did too – Zolotov, Bortnikov and Kostyukov" [Из публичного пространства пропал не только Шойгу, но и другие ключевые силовики – Золотов, Бортников и Костюков]. The Moscow Times (in Russian). 25 March 2022. Archived from the original on 26 March 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
- ↑ Quénelle, Benjamin (4 February 2026). "Igor Kostyukov, the top Russian spy sent to negotiate with the Ukrainians in Abu Dhabi". Le Monde. Retrieved 2 May 2026.
- ↑ "Iran's Foreign Minister Meets With Putin in St. Petersburg". The Moscow Times. 27 April 2026. Retrieved 2 May 2026.
- ↑ PDF, Wirtschaftskammer Wien (German), Retrieved 11 March 2022.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Igor Kostyukov at Wikimedia Commons
Heads of the Maine Directorate or Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff | ||
|---|---|---|
| ||
| Soviet Union |
|  |
| Russia | ||
- Heroes of the Russian Federation
- Recipients of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 2nd class
- Recipients of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 3rd class
- Recipients of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 4th class
- Recipients of the Order of Alexander Nevsky (Russian Federation)
- Recipients of the Order of Courage (Russia)
- Recipients of the Order of Honour (Russia)
- 1961 births
- Living people
- GRU Chiefs
- Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia alumni
- Russian admirals
- Russian individuals subject to U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctions
- Russian military personnel of the Syrian civil war
- Russian military personnel of the Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Russian individuals subject to United Kingdom sanctions
- Russian individuals subject to European Union sanctions
- Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List
- Military attachés for Russia