Russian exile Garry Kasparov says he was warned by U.S. officials of planned threats to his life
Former world chess champion Garry Kasparov, who turned from the board to politics and now lives in the United States, said he recently received warnings from U.S. and Lithuanian security services that his safety was at risk. According to the anti‑corruption movement he co‑founded, “Free Russia Forum,” the advice came after a Justice Department indictment that accused a group linked to Kremlin intelligence of planning attacks and murders against Russian dissidents and defectors around the globe.
Kasparov published a brief note on his site The Next Move noting that while he and fellow opposition figure Ivan Tyutrin had not been explicitly named as targets, the official communications had clearly identified safety risks. He added that the Russian President’s regime made “my family and I will not truly be safe as long as [Putin] is in power.”
The indictment, unsealed earlier this month, names five alleged perpetrators—Yuri Khrameev, Kirill Khrameev, Oemis Romagoza Durruthy, Yaidel Delgado Suarez and Angel Eduardo Castro—as orchestrators of a global assassination network. They allegedly sought to recruit citizens in the United States and abroad to carry out killings at the behest of Russian intelligence. All five are still at large.
“Putin shows no sign of stopping the war as Russia doubles down on Ukraine” and “USA accuses Russia of trying to kill Ukrainian allies overseas” are among recent stories that illustrate the wider context of state‑backed violence. The latest indictment highlights an escalation in the Kremlin’s approach to dealing with dissent, extending its reach from inside Russia to the Americas and beyond.
Kasparov is one of a growing number of Russian political exiles who have reported being targeted by Moscow. The combined weight of U.S. legal action and intelligence advisory serves as a stark warning to those who dare to speak out against authoritarian rule.
Kasparov remains in exile, refusing to return to Russia where he is listed as a foreign agent and on a list of extremists. His experience underscores the continuing firepower of state security forces against dissent, now amplified by international investigations.
