On Monday, the Kremlin reported the death of Colonel General Igor Sergun, who has served as head of the GRU, the main intelligence branch of the Russian general staff since late 2011. A short statement posted in Russian on the Kremlin’s website said that Sergun died suddenly on Sunday evening, but failed to mention any presumed cause or even the location of his death.
Statements from within Vladimir Putin’s government have been similarly coy. In a Russian-language statement on Monday, Putin praised Sergun, saying that, “Colleagues and subordinates knew him as a real military officer, an experienced and competent commander, a man of great courage, a true patriot. He was respected for his professionalism, strength of character, honesty and integrity.”
Sergun is credited as an important figure in the renaissance of the GRU, which had suffered deep staff and budget cuts prior to his arrival. Under Sergun, the agency regained political power within the Russian government as well as control over the Spetsnaz special forces, making it “crucial in the seizure of Crimea and operations in the Donbas,” as well as “as the lead agency for dealing with violent non-state actors.”
Western observers believe that Sergun played an important role both in Russian involvement in Crimea and the insurgency of pro-Russia Ukrainian rebels that followed the 2014 annexation. Since April 2014, Sergun had been under EU sanctions due to his role in the Crimea affair.
Without much information on Sergun’s death there hasn’t been much suspicion of foul play yet. However, the Kremlin’s announcement comes less than a month after the announced retirements or sackings of 10 local law enforcement officials, which Russia expert Mark Galeotti described as pointing towards “a desire to make sure the internal security forces are in good shape and ready for action.” There are changes at the top, though for what purpose and in which direction remains unclear.
