Garry Kasparov Warned by US About Life‑Threatening Plot

Thu Oct 01 2026 16:33:19 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Former chess champion and Russian exile Garry Kasparov says U.S. security services issued him a warning after a Kremlin‑linked attack plot was uncovered.

Former world‑chess champion Garry Kasparov, now a Russian political exile, confirms that U.S. and Lithuanian intelligence warned him of a potential murder plot. His alert follows a Justice Department indictment naming five Kremlin workers linked to an international assassination network targeting Russian dissidents. Kasparov says he took precautionary measures. The case highlights the global reach of Russian covert operations and the risks faced by outspoken critics abroad.

Former chess champion Garry Kasparov receives U.S. warning of life‑threatening plot

After claiming a U.S. and Lithuanian security service warned him of a possible murder plot, former world‑chess champion Garry Kasparov said he had taken precautionary measures to protect himself and his family.

His claims follow a Justice Department indictment released earlier this month that names five people allegedly working for the Kremlin and plotting attacks on Russian dissidents and defectors worldwide. The suit alleges that the men formed part of a “global assassination network” that reached into the United States and recruited foreign citizens to carry out killings in the Kremlin’s name.

Kasparov wrote on Substack that he was one of two dissidents told to take precautions, but that neither he nor Free Russia Forum co‑founder Ivan Tyutrin were expressly identified as targets. He added that the warning came in the summer, and that he had been placed under enhanced security for the first time since leaving Russia.

The former champion, who retired from competitive chess in 2005 to launch a political movement opposing President Vladimir Putin and fled the country in 2013, has not returned since becoming a U.S. resident. Russia has labelled him a foreign agent, a terrorist, and an extremist, designations he disputes.

Another high‑profile dissident, former Russian MP Ilya Ponomarev, who voted against the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014 and now lives in exile in Ukraine, also allegedly received a warning. Ponomarev refused to confirm or deny the tip‑off, describing the allegations as a “new level of escalation” by Russia.

The list of five alleged Kremlin actors – Yuri Khrameev, Kirill Khrameev, Oemis Romagoza Durruthy, Yaidel Delgado Suarez and Angel Eduardo Castro – remain at large, according to the Justice Department.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he would not address the indictment until credible evidence was available. Meanwhile, U.S. officials warn that Russian covert operations pose a continuing threat to dissidents worldwide.