Sergei B. Korolev

Sergei Borisovich Korolev (; born 25 July 1962) is a Russian intelligence officer currently serving as first deputy director of the Federal Security Service (FSB). He previously served as head of the Economic Security Service of the FSB from 2016 to 2021. A secretive figure with extensive connections to the Russian mafia, he is considered one of the leading candidates to succeed Alexander Bortnikov as director of the FSB. He has held the military rank of Army General since 2021. As a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, he was sanctioned by the EU, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Estonia, France, New Zealand, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine.

Early life Korolev was born in Frunze, Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic, USSR (now Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan) on 25 July 1962. Born into a military family, very little is known about his early life. Korolev's father was a Soviet military commander and a friend and hunting partner of Viktor Zubkov, former prime minister of Russia and now chairman of the board of Gazprom. He attended the , graduating in 1979.

Intelligence career

GRU service (1980's) Korolev first joined the Soviet security services in August 1979, soon after finishing school. Little is known of his service during the Soviet Union. Intelligence Online reports that Korolev served in the GRU, the military intelligence agency of the Soviet Union and Russia, prior to transferring to the FSB.

Serdyukov's career faltered when Vladimir Putin fired him in 2012 over a purported corruption scandal that many have described as a cover for Putin relenting to senior military leaders anger over the Serdyukov Reforms, though Korolev escaped the investigation unscathed, transferring back to the FSB. Korolev’s colleagues claimed Makovoz was a valuable human intelligence source, Oleg Feoktistov became Serdyukov's deputy. Oleg Vladimirovich Feoktistov (; born 3 July 1964, Moscow Oblast), also known as "Oleg the Big" or "General Fix" or "General Ficus", served as a border guard in Karelia with Ivan Ivanovich Tkachev (; born 1970), who later would head the "K" Directorate of the SEB of the FSB beginning in 2016 after the resignation of Viktor Voronin , and fought with the Soviet Army during the Soviet–Afghan War where he met the KGB military counterintelligence officer Sergei Shishin, who later became the head of the special forces of the FSB CSS, and then the head of the FSB Economic Support Service. In September 2016, Feoktistov officially became the head of the security service of Rosneft.

First deputy directorship (2021–present) On 24 February 2021, by decree of the president of Russia, Korolev was appointed First Deputy Director of the FSB. In early June, he was made a General of the Army, the highest active rank in the Russian armed forces.

Sanctions He was sanctioned by the UK government in 2022 in relation to the Russo-Ukrainian War.

In July 2022 the European Union imposed sanctions on Korolev in relation to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He is additionally sanctioned by Australia, Belgium, Canada, Estonia, France, New Zealand, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine.

Other roles Korolev is a member of the commission on the construction of the Vostochny cosmodrome.

Since 2019, he has been appointed a member of the Supervisory Board of the Kurchatov Institute.

He is currently a member of the Supervisory Board of Rosatom.

In 2021, Korolev was appointed as Russia's representative to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's (SCO) Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS), where he leads Russia's delegation to the counterterrorism and anti-separatism organization.

Personal life He is married to Marina and has a son, Boris Sergeivich Korolev, who works as a programmer, and a daughter Anastasia. He has a sister, Tatyana Borisovna Koroleva. He is personally close to oligarchs Arkady and Boris Rotenberg.