MOSCOW, December 10. /TASS/. A naval officer has for the first time been appointed chief of Russia’s military intelligence GRU. He is Vice-Admiral Igor Kostyukov, a source at the Russian Defense Ministry has told TASS.

"Vice-Admiral Igor Kostyukov, acting GRU chief, has been appointed as the head of the main intelligence directorate (GRU) of Russia’s General Staff," the source said.

TASS has obtained no official confirmation from the Kremlin’s press-service yet.

Kostyukov succeeded Igor Korobov, who died on November 21, 2018 after prolonged illness at 62 years of age.

According to open sources, Kostyukov was born on February 21, 1961. First, he was trained as a naval officer. Later he graduated from the Military-Diplomatic Academy and served at the main intelligence directorate GRU. As one of Russia’s military intelligence chiefs, participated in commanding the military operation in Syria.

For courage and heroism displayed in coping with his military duty was awarded the title of Hero of Russia. At the end of December 2016 he was included in the United States’ sanction list for actions related with "subversion of democracy" in the United States, and in September 2018, in the US sanction list for alleged intervention in the 2016 presidential election.