Kasparov, ally say US and Lithuanian intelligence warned their lives are in danger
Kremlin critic Garry Kasparov said US and Lithuanian security services warned him and his associate Ivan Tyutrin their lives were in danger, following US charges against alleged Russian intelligence agents accused of plotting murders abroad.
Chess legend and Kremlin critic Garry Kasparov said Thursday that US and Lithuanian security services had warned him and his longtime associate Ivan Tyutrin that their lives were in danger, urging them to take precautionary measures.
The 63-year-old, who lives in exile in the United States, said on social media that news of being placed on a list of assassination targets was not a surprise but was nonetheless a shock. He said he had followed the security advice given to him and would continue to do so.
Tyutrin, 45, a co-founder of the Free Russia Forum who is based in Vilnius, told AFP that Lithuanian authorities warned him two weeks ago to urgently leave his home and get rid of his car.
Charges against Russian agents
The warnings followed charges announced by the US Department of Justice in mid-September against five alleged agents of Russian intelligence accused of conspiring to carry out attacks and murders in various locations, including the United States. The group allegedly attempted to have a prominent Russian dissident living in the US murdered this summer in exchange for roughly $40,000. US authorities identified the target only as "Victim-1." One of the defendants is an officer of Russia's FSB security service.
The department also said the agents had tried last year to arrange a murder in Lithuania, with the target identified only as "Victim-2." One of the agents reportedly offered a US citizen $25,000 to kill this person, suggesting methods including a bottle of gasoline or a knife. The plot collapsed when the US citizen refused to go through with it.
Tyutrin said he does not know whether he was "Victim-2," but has no doubt Russian security services are seeking to punish him for his support of Ukraine. He said he believes Moscow is behind the threats and that a list of targets for elimination exists.
Earlier warnings
Tyutrin said Lithuania first warned him after he helped raise funds in 2023 for Russians fighting alongside Ukrainian forces, and after he visited the Ukrainian front in 2024. During a US visit in April 2024, FBI agents approached him at a New York airport and followed him for two weeks as a protective measure. Upon returning to Lithuania, he was placed under state protection, which was later withdrawn.
