Former head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine Viktor Hvozd has died, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine (MFA) press service said.

"According to available information, on May 28, while diving in the Dahab Egyptian resort, former head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine Viktor Hvozd felt bad," the MFA press service told Interfax-Ukraine on Friday.

According to the MFA, rescuers lifted the body of the former head of the Foreign Intelligence Service to the surface of the water without any signs of life. On the shore, before the arrival of the ambulance, he underwent cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

"At the same time, despite the intensive resuscitation measures carried out during the emergency hospitalization, the doctors stated his death. The Ukrainian Embassy in Egypt interacts with the Egyptian side to find out the exact cause of death, keeps in touch with his family," the ministry said.

As previously reported by a number of Ukrainian media outlets, the former head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine was killed on May 28 near the Egyptian city of Dahab. According to journalists, the man was engaged in scuba diving at a depth of several tens of meters, after which he emerged too quickly.

Rescuers got Hvozd out of the water, after which he was taken to the hospital, but the doctors were unable to save him.

Viktor Gvozd is a Soviet and Ukrainian leader of power and intelligence structures, a serviceman, diplomat and scientist. PhD in Military Sciences. Former head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Defense Ministry of Ukraine (2008-2010). President of Borysfen Intel, an independent analytical center for geopolitical research (2010-2014). Former head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine (2014-2016). An active participant in the Revolution of Dignity in 2013-2014.