Russiaupdated 25m ago2 min read
Archive photo · 7 May 2025Garry Kasparov Cancels Berlin Trip Over Russian Assassination Threat
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Kasparov canceled planned Berlin trip after intelligence warnings of a possible Russian assassination attempt. He addressed Berlin Freedom Dinner via video, stating threats could reach others as well.
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Kasparov cancels Berlin trip
Garry Kasparov canceled his planned trip to Berlin after security warnings about a possible Russian attack, and he instead spoke by video on Monday at the Freedom Dinner in the town hall.
Kasparov warned, “If they can reach me here, they can reach anyone. To your spouses and children, to your colleagues,” and he said the threats had already forced him to reinforce his security in the United States.
Kasparov confirmed that both he and his associate Ivan Tyutrin, cofounder of the Forum of Free Russia and exiled in Lithuania, had received warnings from Lithuanian and United States security services.
Kasparov wrote in his newsletter that “Lithuanian and United States security services warned us that our lives were in danger and that we should take precautions, which I did and will continue to do,” and he said he would continue to advocate for military and economic aid to Ukraine and measures against Moscow.
Warnings, video message, blame
Bild reported that Kasparov canceled his trip after security staff strongly advised him not to travel to Berlin, and he recorded a video address for participants in Berlin Freedom Week.
Kasparov told participants, “You may have seen reports that Russia is trying to kill me. Security experts strongly advised me not to go to Berlin, as it would be an unjustified risk at this time,” and he added that he would continue to take precautions.
Kasparov criticized European security and law enforcement authorities for not doing enough to counter the Kremlin, and he warned, “You must acknowledge the fact that you have allowed Europe to become Vladimir Putin’s playground.”
Kasparov also said the risk extended beyond him, and he warned that “Your spouses and children, your colleagues” could be reached if Russia could reach him in Berlin.
Berlin Freedom Week stakes
Berlin Freedom Week runs until November 14 and brings together about 170 events dedicated to democracy, human rights and political persecution, and Kasparov was listed among the announced participants. Kasparov said he was confident he could one day return to Berlin, a city he linked to an assassination judicially attributed to the Russian state, that of Zelimkhan Jangoshvili in 2019 carried out by Vadim Krasikov.
Kasparov also referenced other precedents including the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury in 2018 and the 2024 shooting death in Spain of the Russian defector pilot Maxim Kuzminov. Kasparov said the need for protection abroad had taken away one of the few advantages he had found by leaving Russia, and he declared, “My family and I will not be truly safe while Putin remains in power in Russia.”