Garry Kasparov Says U.S. Security Services Warned His Life Is in Danger

Garry Kasparov is one of the greatest chess players of all time. The Russian grandmaster was the World Chess Champion between 1985 and 2000, although the 63-year-old has become better-known in recent years for being a political dissident.

Kasparov has been particularly outspoken about the Putin regime in his homeland and it appears as though he’s a target for Russia. The exiled opposition figure has revealed that he’s been warned by American security services that his life was in danger. 

The chess supremo also revealed that Lithuanian security services gave him a similar warning, with Kasparov being one of two men who were allegedly being targeted at the time.

Kasparov “Will Not Stop and Will Not Hide from Russia”

This news comes in the wake of the US Justice Department recently unsealing an indictment where five people were charged. Their alleged crime is working for a network with Kremlin links according to the BBC.

Their acts are thought to include plotting attacks and murders in various countries including the US. Russian dissidents and defectors have long been targeted and there have been high-profile murders which are linked back to Moscow.

Kasparov has written: “I will not stop and I will not hide, even if I thought it was possible to do so.

“My family and I will not truly be safe as long as [Russian President Vladimir] Putin is in power in Russia – a circumstance shared by millions.”

Kasparov has also written in publication The Next Move about his recent experiences, with the Russian having founded Free Russia Forum along with Ivan Tyutrin who is also thought to have his safety compromised. 

The former chess player stepped away from the sport in 2005 to go down the political route and he’s been involved in several movements against Putin. In 2013, Kasparov fled Russia and has yet to return. It’s possible that he will never go back.

source https://www.mensjournal.com/news/garry-kasparov-says-u-s-security-services-warned-his-life-is-in-danger