Kremlin planned to assassinate Kasparov, Ponomarev — report
Russia spent months planning the killings of leading opposition figures Garry Kasparov and Ilya Ponomarev, Spain’s El Mundo reported on Sept. 30.
According to a report by Spain’s El Mundo on September 30, the Kremlin allegedly planned to assassinate prominent opposition figures Garry Kasparov and Ilya Ponomarev. Kasparov, a former world chess champion and founder of the Free Russia Forum, was targeted for assassination in the United States. Ponomarev, the only Russian MP to vote against the annexation of Crimea in 2014, was also a potential victim.
U.S. authorities had warned Kasparov in the summer of 2026 that he was a "target" of Russian intelligence services, and he subsequently received enhanced protection. Another opposition figure, Vladimir Kara-Murza, was reportedly targeted in Vilnius, Lithuania. Kara-Murza had previously been poisoned twice, and Russian agents may have planned to burn him alive or stab him.
Five suspects, including a former colonel in Russia’s intelligence services and his son, are believed to be hiding in Russia. The so-called RIS Network, responsible for these assassination plots, has been operating since at least 2024 and targets individuals supporting Ukraine in the United States and Europe. Other potential targets include Ivan Tyutrin and Ruslan Gabbasov, both of whom reside in Lithuania.
Written by urgent.news from New Voice of Ukraine's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
