KYIV. May 31 (Interfax) - Viktor Hvozd, former director of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine, has died while scuba diving in Egypt, the press service for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said.
"According to the available information, ex-director of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine Viktor Hvozd became unwell while scuba diving at the Egyptian resort of Dahab on May 28," the press service for the Foreign Ministry told Interfax on Friday.
According to the ministry, lifeguards retrieved the ex-foreign intelligence chief's body from the water with no signs of life. They gave him cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the shore until an ambulance arrived, however "despite intensive resuscitative measures while he was being rushed to the hospital, medics pronounced him dead."
"The Ukrainian embassy in Egypt is cooperating with the Egyptian side to determine the exact cause of death and is in contact with his loved ones," the press service said.
Several Ukrainian media outlets reported earlier that Hvozd died near the city of Dahab, Egypt on May 28. According to journalists, the man was scuba diving at a depth of several dozen meters and surfaced too quickly.
Lifeguards pulled Hvozd out of the water, and he was rushed to the hospital, but medics were unable to save him.
Hvozd was a Soviet and Ukrainian functionary in law enforcement and intelligence agencies, a military man, diplomat, and scientist. He held a PhD in military sciences. He headed the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry in 2008-2010 and chaired the independent analytical center for geopolitical research Borysfen Intel in 2010-2014. Hvozd headed the Ukrainian Foreign Intelligence Service in 2014-2016. He was a retired Lt. Gen and an active participant in the Revolution of Dignity in 2013-2014.