Who is Igor Kostyukov - the head of the GRU who led the Russian delegation at the negotiations on Ukraine

On February 1, trilateral negotiations between Russia, Ukraine and the United States on ending the war and future security guarantees will continue in Abu Dhabi. Both sides are represented by military intelligence officers: the Ukrainian delegation is Kirill Budanov, the Russian delegation is the head of the GRU Igor Kostyukov. Kostyukov is a little-known admiral who actually becomes the face of Russian diplomacy in the negotiations on Ukraine. Novaya Gazeta Europe has collected everything that is known about the head of the Russian GRU.

“Everyone understands everything”

On January 29, propagandist Pavel Zarubin approached the head of the GRU of the General Staff of the Russian Federation, Igor Kostyukov, and asked how the last negotiations on Ukraine went in Abu Dhabi. He answered succinctly: “They all said: ‘constructive’.” When Zarubin clarified what exactly was meant, Kostyukov added: “Everyone understands everything.” When asked in what sense, he said: “Very literally.”

What Kostyukov meant, he did not explain. A short conversation with Zarubin took place in the Kremlin after Vladimir Putin received UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The head of the GRU accompanied Putin at this and at several other high-level meetings - for example , with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi after the US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities (last summer) and with the Syrian transitional president Ahmed al-Sharaa (January 28) after the withdrawal of the Russian military from one of the key sites.

When asked by Rossiyskaya Gazeta why Kostyukov is needed at Putin’s meeting with the UAE President, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov replied : “Just in case. Now we were talking only about bilateral relations. They are so wide-ranging, there are so many topics to discuss.”

This January, the intelligence officer, who has been officially participating in the negotiations on Ukraine since May 2025, received a new status as head of the delegation.

Thus, Igor Kostyukov replaced Vladimir Medinsky in the negotiations. The presidential aide and former culture minister has led the Russian delegation since 2022, starting with the Istanbul meetings, when Russia and Ukraine tried to agree to end the war for the first time since the start of the full-scale invasion.

The Kremlin has not publicly explained why the composition of the negotiating group changed. However, political scientist Vladimir Pastukhov considers Medinsky’s absence at the negotiations in Abu Dhabi a “good sign.”

“His appearance in Abu Dhabi at any stage would mean that this stage of the negotiation process is close to the funeral service. The “military” composition of the delegation is also symbolism on the verge of theatrical drama, but still more encouraging. Military experts are at least familiar with the subject and are unlikely to demarcate the future line of division based on the experience of the Pechenegs,” he writes in his Telegram channel.

Admiral-diplomat

There is quite a bit of information about Kostyukov in open sources, but it is known that he was born on February 21, 1961, and received his military education through the Navy. He graduated from the Military Diplomatic Academy, and then began serving in the Main Intelligence Directorate. Having become one of the leaders of Russian military intelligence, Kostyukov, according to the website “Heroes of the Country” and Russian media , participated in managing the military operation in Syria, but the details of his activities there are unknown.

In the mid-2000s, Kostyukov was the military attaché of the Russian Embassy in Greece for at least five years, noted the Open Media publication. TASS indicates that Kostyukov worked as a military diplomat after graduating from the academy, in particular in 2004.

The military man was appointed head of the GRU (now the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces) in December 2018. Kostyukov replaced Igor Korobov in this position, who died of cancer at the age of 62.

In 2019, Kostyukov was awarded the rank of admiral. He is a Hero of Russia ( since 2017 ) and a holder of the Order “For Merit to the Fatherland”, IV degree, Honor, Alexander Nevsky, Courage, “For Military Merit”, as well as the Medal “For Courage”.

Involvement in the poisoning of the Skripals

In October 2022, the European Union imposed sanctions against Kostyukov for cyber attacks on the Bundestag in 2015. According to the EU, he, as the first deputy head of the Main Directorate of the General Staff, led the 85th center (or a group called Fancybear/APT28). The Main Directorate General Staff Center also appears on the sanctions list.

Prior to this, in January 2019, Kostyukov was placed on the EU sanctions list due to the poisoning of former GRU officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury. As stated in the EU's official journal, Kostyukov, then holding the senior position of First Deputy Chief of the GRU, was found responsible for the possession, transportation and use of the toxic nerve agent Novichok by GRU officers in Salisbury over the weekend of March 4, 2018. Russia has always denied any involvement in the attack.

The United States has also included the head of the GRU on sanctions lists more than once. At the end of December 2016, restrictions were applied to him in connection with a cyber attack on the servers of the Democratic Party on the eve of the presidential elections, and in March 2018, also for interference in the American elections.

In 2022, New Zealand and Canada imposed sanctions against Kostyukov.

Family matters

Independent media paid attention to the assets of Kostyukov’s children, which apparently do not correspond to official income.

Thus, a 2021 investigation by The Insider states that his son and daughter own expensive real estate and transport, the total value of which is estimated at several hundred million rubles, while their official income does not explain such purchases.

The authors of the publication note that data on the property was removed from public registers, and in extracts from Rosreestr the owner was named “Russian Federation,” which makes direct verification difficult. According to information from the documents, at the time of publication, Kostyukov’s son worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and his daughter held a leadership position in the Regions group of companies owned by State Duma deputy from United Russia Zelimkhan Mutsoev.

Despite relatively modest official incomes, they were able to purchase land plots in elite cottage villages and premium cars, which, according to the editors, raises questions about the origin of funds and possible opaque property registration schemes.

According to Project information , Kostyukov’s son has been working at the Russian Consulate General in Italy for recent years.

The Internet publication “Broom” wrote in its article “Dad is a Spy” in October 2025 that Kostyukov’s daughter became the sole owner of a company that supplies electrical equipment for government needs, including the Ministry of Defense. The financial statements of this company are closed, but, according to journalists, the turnover could have amounted to about 1.8 billion rubles in the last year alone, and contractors include large government agencies and defense enterprises.

The role of Kostyukov

“The Russians are sending military specialists who will not have the authority to talk about politics,” British military analyst Michael Clarke said in a commentary on Sky News.

Russian political strategists emphasize that the appointment of Admiral Kostyukov as the head of the negotiating group may be a demonstrative step designed to show “the strength of Russia’s position” in response to the participation of Kirill Budanov in the Ukrainian delegation. Thus, according to political strategist Marat Bashirov, Kostyukov will oversee the withdrawal of armed forces and equipment.

On Thursday, January 29, Kostyukov , answering a question from journalists whether the delegation was preparing for a new meeting, said that they were “always ready.” “Ukrainians are in a sad mood... We are in a good mood,” he added.