Garry Kasparov says US and Lithuanian services warned him he faced a threat to his life

# What happened

Garry Kasparov, the former world chess champion turned Russian opposition politician, says US and Lithuanian security services warned him this summer that his life could be in danger. The notice reportedly applied to him and Ivan Tyutrin, a co-founder of the Free Russia Forum.

Kasparov, who has lived in the United States since 2013, wrote that he was not explicitly told he was named as a target, but that both men had been advised to take precautions. Spanish newspaper El Mundo reported that US authorities had placed Kasparov under enhanced protection over the summer.

# Why the warning came now

Earlier in September the US Justice Department unsealed an indictment charging five people alleged to be part of a network linked to Russian intelligence. The Justice Department described the so-called RIS Network as conspiring to carry out attacks and murders targeting Russian dissidents and defectors, including operations that reached into the United States.

The five people named in the indictment are Yuri Khrameev, Kirill Khrameev, Oemis Romagoza Durruthy, Yaidel Delgado Suarez and Angel Eduardo Castro. US officials said those individuals remain at large. The Justice Department said the network attempted to recruit US citizens and foreigners to carry out killings on the Kremlin's behalf.

# Kasparov's response and status

Ilya Ponomarev, another reported target, declined to confirm whether he had been warned but said the allegations represented "a new level of escalation" by Russia. Ponomarev was the only Russian MP to vote against the 2014 annexation of Crimea and later went into exile in Ukraine.

# Official reactions

Department announced the indictment and described the alleged global assassination network and its aims. Assistant Attorney General for national security John A. Eisenberg said the accused operated as part of a global scheme attempting to recruit people to carry out killings.

The Kremlin has not accepted the allegations. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he would not comment until he had seen "credible evidence" or "tangible facts."

# What this means now

• Two well-known Russian exiles—Kasparov and Ponomarev—have been publicly linked by reporting to alleged plots disclosed in the US indictment.
• US and Lithuanian security services took steps to warn and increase protection for targeted individuals this summer.
• The five people named in the indictment are reportedly at large, leaving open questions about ongoing threats and any operational capacity of the alleged network.