For several months, Russian authorities have been planning the assassination of champion Garry Kasparov and opponent Ilia Ponomarev, in the United States of America, according to the Spanish newspaper El Mundo.
In the summer of 2026, the American authorities notified Kasparov that he was the target of an assassination attempt and, for the first time since his move to New York in 2013, they offered him protection.
In Ponomarev’s case, the assassination plans were at a more advanced stage. The reward for photographing the locations in Washington where he was located ranged between 1000 and 1500 dollars. For murder, the payment reached 40,000, but the attempt failed after the executor reportedly changed his mind about committing the crime.
The US has uncovered a group of five individuals, suspected of acting on Moscow’s directive. They have recruited assassins and people to track the victims.
Another possible target could have been the opposition journalist Vladimir Kara-Murza, writes Meduza. Although his name is not revealed, El Mundo writes that the victim was being followed in Vilnius and was to be stabbed or set on fire.
In addition to the three, El Mundo also included other Russian opponents in the list of potential victims.