Garry Kasparov Under US Protection Following Russian Assassination Plot
Chess legend and prominent Vladimir Putin critic Garry Kasparov is under special protection in the United States after federal authorities uncovered a Russian assassination plot targeting him. The U.S. Attorney’s Office has indicted five members of an intelligence-linked network operating since 2024 for conspiracy and terrorism financing.
The U.S. Investigation and Indictment of the RIS Network
Federal prosecutors in the United States revealed that Garry Kasparov, who has lived in exile in New York since 2013, was informed by American authorities during the summer of 2026 that he was the specific target of an elimination plot. Consequently, the world chess champion from 1985 to 2000 was placed under special protection for the first time since relocating across the Atlantic.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office charged five suspected members of a network linked to Russian intelligence services, known as the “RIS network.” Active since at least 2024, the group utilized local criminals and saboteurs to coordinate attacks across Europe and subsequently within the United States. Three of the suspects face charges of conspiracy to commit murder, while all five individuals face allegations of terrorism financing. Another dissident, former Russian deputy Ilya Ponomarev—who remains in exile and was the sole member to vote against the 2014 annexation of Crimea—was also targeted in advanced assassination plots, alongside a third opponent marked for elimination in Vilnius, Lithuania.
Decades of Security Threats and Moscow’s Escalating Measures
Garry Kasparov has faced persistent security threats for over two decades. In 2005, when he retired from competitive chess to enter politics, he surrounded himself with an eight-person bodyguard detail that accompanied him everywhere within Russia, taking precautions such as bringing their own food and water to mitigate poisoning risks.
Moscow has progressively escalated legal and administrative measures against the dissident. Designated as a “foreign agent” by Russian authorities, Kasparov was added to official lists of “terrorists and extremists” in 2024.