Garry Kasparov targeted in alleged Kremlin assassination plot

Garry Kasparov Ilya Ponomarev Russian intelligence assassination plot RIS network

U.S. authorities have warned former chess champion and political dissident Garry Kasparov that he was the target of a Kremlin-led assassination plot. Following the warning, federal agents provided Kasparov with special protection in New York, marking the first time he has received such security since his exile in 2013.

According to reports and a Manhattan federal indictment, a Russian-linked network known as the RIS network has been active since at least 2024, allegedly conducting targeted killings and sabotage across Europe. The indictment names five individuals, including a former Russian intelligence colonel, as part of a global network of assassins paid to carry out operations against political opponents and civilian infrastructure.

Ilya Ponomarev, a former Russian lawmaker and critic of the annexation of Crimea, was reportedly identified as the primary target. U.S. investigators claim a Venezuelan national recruited in the United States monitored Ponomarev's locations in Washington, D.C., though the individual ultimately declined to carry out the murder. A third target was allegedly planned to be killed in Vilnius, Lithuania, through stabbing or arson.

Entities

Free Russia Forum · Garry Kasparov · Ilya Ponomarev · Kremlin · RIS Network · United States

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[● 2 SOURCES] A hitman was promised $40,000 to carry out the assassination of Ilya Ponomarev. www.pravda.sk · www.danas.rs
[● 4 SOURCES] U.S. authorities assigned Kasparov special protection for the first time since his 2013 exile. www.elmundo.es · www.pravda.sk · www.notiziegeopolitiche.net · www.danas.rs
[○ 1 SOURCE] A Manhattan federal court released an indictment against five men linked to a Russian assassination and sabotage network. www.notiziegeopolitiche.net
[● 4 SOURCES] U.S. authorities warned Garry Kasparov that he was the target of a Kremlin assassination plan. www.elmundo.es · www.pravda.sk · www.notiziegeopolitiche.net · www.danas.rs
[● 2 SOURCES] A third target was allegedly planned to be killed in Vilnius, Lithuania, via stabbing or arson. www.elmundo.es · www.danas.rs
[● 2 SOURCES] The RIS network, connected to Russian intelligence, has been operating since at least 2024 to conduct assassinations and sabotage. www.elmundo.es · www.danas.rs
[● 2 SOURCES] Ilya Ponomarev was identified in U.S. documents as target number one for assassination. www.pravda.sk · www.danas.rs
[● 2 SOURCES] A Venezuelan national recruited in the U.S. monitored locations in Washington related to Ponomarev but declined to perform the killing. www.pravda.sk · www.danas.rs