Kasparov says he was warned about a threat to his life

For an exile, the bad news is rarely elegant. Garry Kasparov, the former chess world champion and one of the best-known Russian opposition figures abroad, said American and Lithuanian security services warned him that his life was in danger, and that he had already taken precautions.

Kasparov said he was one of two dissidents told to be careful, alongside Ivan Tyutrin, his co-founder at the Free Russia Forum. He said neither man was told outright that they were targets, but both were warned about their safety. That is a discreet way of saying the situation is serious.

The warning comes as the US Justice Department has been pursuing a case involving a Kremlin-linked network. Earlier this month, prosecutors unsealed an indictment against five people who allegedly worked for the network and were involved in plotting attacks and murders in countries including the United States. Russian dissidents and defectors were among those said to be in its focus.

Spanish newspaper El Mundo reported that it had obtained information suggesting that Kasparov and another Russian opposition figure, Ilya Ponomarev, were warned over the summer by US authorities. Citing sources close to Kasparov, the paper said he had been placed under enhanced protection for the first time since he moved to the United States. Kasparov later said he would not stop and would not hide, and added that he and his family would not truly be safe while Vladimir Putin remained in power in Russia, a condition he said was shared by millions.

Written by Martina Kirchner martina.kirchner@alpineweekly.com