Kasparov Says US and Lithuanian Security Services Warned Him of Threat to His Life

Exiled Russian opposition figure Garry Kasparov has revealed that American and Lithuanian security services warned him his life was in danger, making him one of two dissidents advised to take protective measures. The former world chess champion said he had acted on those warnings, according to statements reported by the BBC.

Kasparov's disclosure follows the unsealing of a US Justice Department indictment earlier this month against five individuals accused of working for a Kremlin-linked network. Prosecutors allege the group plotted attacks and assassinations in multiple countries, including the United States, with Russian dissidents and defectors as the primary targets.

Writing in his publication The Next Move, Kasparov said he was not explicitly told that he and Ivan Tyutrin, a fellow co-founder of the Free Russia Forum, were considered targets. However, he confirmed that both men had received warnings about their personal safety. The distinction is significant: intelligence services often refrain from confirming specific threats to avoid compromising sources or ongoing investigations, while still urging potential targets to alter their routines and security arrangements.

Spanish newspaper El Mundo reported that it had obtained information indicating Kasparov, along with another Russian opposition figure, Ilya Ponomarev, had been warned about the alleged plot over the summer by US authorities. Citing sources close to Kasparov, the paper said he had been placed under enhanced protection for the first time since moving to the United States. Enhanced protection typically involves increased surveillance, changed travel patterns, and coordination with local law enforcement, reflecting the seriousness with which security agencies view the threat.

Kasparov responded defiantly to the news. "I will not stop and I will not hide, even if I thought it was possible to do so," he wrote. He added that neither he nor his family would be truly safe as long as Russian President Vladimir Putin remained in power, a sentiment he said was shared by millions of people.

The 62-year-old Kasparov retired from competitive chess in 2005 at the height of his career to pursue political activism in Russia. He founded opposition movements that openly challenged Putin's leadership before fleeing the country in 2013. He has not returned since. In 2022, following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian authorities designated him a foreign agent. Two years later, in 2024, they added him to a list of terrorists and extremists. Kasparov rejects both classifications.

The other reported target, Ilya Ponomarev, holds a unique place in recent Russian political history. He was the only member of the Russian parliament to vote against the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014. Following that vote, he left Russia and eventually went into exile in Ukraine. When approached by the Moscow Times, Ponomarev declined to confirm or deny whether he had been tipped off about the alleged plot. However, he characterized the allegations as marking "a new level of escalation" by Russia.

The US Justice Department has described the network behind the alleged plots as operating since at least 2024. According to prosecutors, the so-called RIS Network has been conspiring to conduct attacks and murders targeting Russian dissidents and defectors around the world. The indictment represents one of the most detailed public accounts of what US officials describe as a systematic campaign against Kremlin critics abroad.

Five alleged members of the network face charges. They are accused of operating "as part of a global assassination network that reached into the United States, attempting to recruit US citizens and foreigners to carry out killings at the behest of the Kremlin," according to John A Eisenberg, Assistant Attorney General for national security. The five individuals named in the indictment are Yuri Khrameev, Kirill Khrameev, Oemis Romagoza Durruthy, Yaidel Delgado Suarez and Angel Eduardo Castro. All five remain at large, the Justice Department said, meaning the threat they allegedly represent has not been neutralized.

The Kremlin has responded cautiously to the indictment. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he would not comment on the charges until he had heard or seen "any credible evidence" or "tangible facts." That response is consistent with Moscow's longstanding practice of dismissing Western legal actions as politically motivated while avoiding detailed engagement with specific allegations.

The warnings to Kasparov and Ponomarev underscore a broader pattern that has alarmed Western security services in recent years. Russian dissidents living abroad have faced poisoning attempts, shootings, and mysterious deaths. The case of Alexander Litvinenko, poisoned in London in 2006, and the 2018 Salisbury nerve agent attack on Sergei Skripal and his daughter are among the most notorious incidents. More recently, several Russian journalists and activists have reported being followed or warned of credible threats to their lives.

For Kasparov, the latest warnings add another chapter to a life defined by confrontation with authority. He rose to global fame as the youngest world chess champion in history, defeating Anatoly Karpov in 1985 at age 22. His transition from chess to politics was unusual for a figure of his stature, and it came at considerable personal cost. He has lived in exile for more than a decade, unable to return to the country where he was born.

The implications of the indictment and the warnings extend beyond the individuals involved. They raise questions about the reach of Russian intelligence operations on American soil and the effectiveness of measures designed to protect dissidents. The fact that all five accused individuals remain at large suggests that the network may still be capable of operating, even as US authorities publicize their alleged activities.

For Russian opposition figures in exile, the warnings serve as a stark reminder of the risks they face. Many have continued their activism despite the danger, arguing that silence would amount to surrender. Kasparov's refusal to stop or hide reflects that determination, even as security services advise him and others to take precautions. The balance between continuing political work and ensuring personal safety remains a daily calculation for those targeted by the Kremlin.