US and Lithuanian agencies warn Kasparov of assassination plot
Chess great and Kremlin critic Garry Kasparov says security services warned him and an ally that Russian agents may be plotting to kill them.
Update ·
Updated with new reports from our sources.
Garry Kasparov, the chess grandmaster and prominent critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, said US and Lithuanian security services had warned him and fellow opposition activist Ivan Tyutrin that their lives were in danger. Kasparov, who was born in Baku and became the youngest world chess champion in 1985 at the age of 22, said the agencies had not named him as an explicit target but had advised him to take precautionary measures, which he said he had done and would continue to do.
Kasparov made the comments on social media, responding to a report by the independent Russian outlet The Moscow Times that Russian agents had planned to kill opposition figures Kasparov and Ilya Ponomaryov in the United States over the summer. Ponomaryov, a former Russian MP, was the only member of parliament to vote against the 2014 annexation of Crimea.
Kasparov, who is now in Strasbourg, said he did not intend to stop his opposition activity or go into hiding. "I will not stop and I will not hide," he wrote, adding that he would keep working to rally the free world against what he called Putin's murderous dictatorship.
The warning follows an indictment unsealed by US authorities last month charging five people, including two Russian nationals, with plotting assassinations and sabotage on the instructions of Russian intelligence services, including in the United States. Unconfirmed media reports have named Kasparov, Ponomaryov and Tyutrin, who lives in Lithuania, as the plot's possible targets.
US prosecutors said the same network recruited a Cuban national living in Moscow who coordinated arson attacks in at least four EU countries in 2024, including the Czech Republic. A Colombian man recruited through the network was sentenced to eight years in prison for setting fire to a Prague transport depot, Czech outlet Blesk.cz reported.
Russia has placed Kasparov on its lists of "foreign agents" and "terrorists and extremists". The Kremlin said last month it saw no reason to comment on the US allegations without credible evidence, and has repeatedly denied carrying out such attacks abroad.
What we know
- Garry Kasparov says US and Lithuanian security services warned him and ally Ivan Tyutrin their lives were in danger.
- The warning follows a Moscow Times report that Russian agents planned to kill Kasparov and Ilya Ponomaryov over the summer.
- US authorities indicted five people last month, including two Russian nationals, over alleged assassination and sabotage plots.
- A Colombian man linked to the same network was sentenced to eight years for setting fire to a Prague transport depot.
- Russia has placed Kasparov on its "foreign agents" and "terrorists and extremists" lists.
Not yet confirmed
- Whether Kasparov, Ponomaryov and Tyutrin were explicitly named as targets in the alleged plot has not been officially confirmed.
Why it matters for Europe
The case adds to a growing list of alleged Russian plots against dissidents and sabotage operations on European soil, including the arson attacks on transport and logistics sites in the Czech Republic and elsewhere that US prosecutors have linked to the same network. It also shows the risks faced by Kremlin critics living in European Union and NATO states such as Lithuania and France, where Kasparov and his associates are based.
The episode also shows the degree of transatlantic intelligence-sharing involved in such cases, with both Washington and Vilnius independently warning Kasparov of the same threat in recent weeks.
Updates
·
Updated with new reports from our sources.
First published.
Sources
Reported by 7 reports from 7 independent outlets in 5 countries.
- iDNES.cz: Tajné služby varovaly Kasparova před atentátem. Nebudu se skrývat, vzkázal
- De Telegraaf: LIVE | Schaakgrootmeester Kasparov zegt op dodenlijst Kremlin te staan: ’Niet verbaasd, desondanks geschokt’
- Blesk.cz: Šachista-disident Kasparov: Varování od tajných služeb před ohrožením života
- HLN: Kremlin zwakt toon af na nucleaire waarschuwing aan NAVO: “Niet bedoeld als confrontatie”
- Kronen Zeitung: Erzfeind von Putin - Schachweltmeister macht Mordwarnung öffentlich
Intelligence file
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Questions and answers
- What did US and Lithuanian agencies tell Kasparov?
- They warned him and fellow activist Ivan Tyutrin that their lives were in danger and advised precautionary measures.
- What is the alleged plot linked to?
- An indictment unsealed by US authorities last month charging five people with plotting assassinations and sabotage for Russian intelligence.
- How has Russia responded?
- The Kremlin says it sees no reason to comment without credible evidence and has placed Kasparov on its "foreign agents" and "extremists" lists.
This article was written with AI assistance from 7 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.