Chess legend Garry Kasparov added in 'terrorist, extremist' list by Russia

Russian financial watchdog responsible for combatting money laundering and terror financing added chess grandmaster and vocal Putin critic Kasparov's name to the list of 'terrorists and extremists'

Russia's financial watchdog, Rosfinmonitoring, on Wednesday, listed chess grandmaster and political activist Garry Kasparov as a "terrorist and extremist".

The 60-year-old chess icon, known for his vocal opposition to President Vladimir Putin, has become a prominent figure on the watchdog's list, that works towards combatting terror financing and money laundering. In May 2022, Russia had added Kasparov to its list of “foreign agents”.
News agency Agence-France Presse said Rosfinmonitoring added Soviet-born Kasparov to its database without giving any reason. According to media reports, this move could result in the seizure of Kasparov's bank accounts.

Responding to the new label on X (formerly known as Twitter), he said, "An honor that says more about Putin's fascist regime than about me."

He added, "As Goldwater said, extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice and moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue! But all opposition, or simple decency, must be called an extremist by the dictatorship."

"As a quid pro quo, as the saying goes, today would be a good day to add Russia, Putin and all his cronies to the state sponsors of terror list," Kasparov said in his post. 

Regarded as one of the greatest chess players of all time, Kasparov, who is also a critic of Putin's administration and particularly the military actions in Ukraine, was the world no 1 chess player from 1984 till he retired, a record 255 months.
 

Kasparov has resided in the US for over ten years, dedicating much of his time to political advocacy. In his continuous support for Kyiv, Kasparov emphasised the importance of Western backing for Ukraine and regarded Moscow's defeat as crucial for Russia's democratic evolution.