Garry Kasparov and Ilya Ponomaryov Targeted in Alleged Assassination Plot in U.S., Report Says
U.S. prosecutors say five alleged operatives recruited people for surveillance and killings, with one plot backed by a $40,000 payment.
- On Tuesday, U.S. prosecutors unsealed an indictment charging five men in a Russian intelligence-linked network that plotted to assassinate exiled critics Garry Kasparov and Ilya Ponomaryov in the United States this summer.
- Operating since at least 2024, the so-called "RIS Network" recruited operatives to conduct surveillance and killings, using coded language like "measuring the land" for surveillance and "construction" for planned attacks.
- The group offered $1,000 to $1,500 for surveillance photographs and $40,000 for the killing, though the plot collapsed when a recruited operative refused to proceed beyond reconnaissance.
- Kasparov received special protection after U.S. authorities confirmed he was a target; Ponomaryov declined to confirm if warned but told The Moscow Times the allegations mark "a new level of escalation" by Russia.
- Parallel threats against exiled activists include Bashkir activist Ruslan Gabbasov, who discovered a tracking device on his car in 2025, highlighting a coordinated, multi-national campaign targeting Kremlin dissidents abroad.
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Chess legend Kasparov says he is an assassination target after US uncovers alleged Russian plot
The Russian chess player and political opponent spoke out after the US charged five alleged Russian intelligence agents accused of plotting to murder a 'prominent Russian dissident' living in the United States.
For several months, Russian intelligence services have been planning the assassinations of prominent opposition figures Garry Kasparov, Ilya Ponomarev and Vladimir Kara-Murza. The post Russia allegedly planned the assassination of Garry Kasparov and other Russian dissidents appeared first on in.gr.
El opositor ruso reacciona tras el reportaje de EL MUNDO sobre un plan para matar a disidentes en Washington y Vilna: "Mi familia y yo no estaremos seguros
Russia is said to have planned to kill chess legend and Putin critic Garry Kasparov, writes Spanish El Mundo. The intended killer is said to have been offered 400,000 kronor.
The US Department of Justice announced earlier in September that it had filed charges against members of a five-person network that acted under Russian instructions.
Legend of chess, Garry Kasparov, was placed under protection. He is a strong opponent of Vladimir Putin, whom he publicly calls dictator
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