It’s “an honor that says more about Putin’s fascist regime than about me,” the exiled opponent reacted on his X account on Wednesday.
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Russia has placed exiled opponent and former chess champion Garry Kasparov on its list of people declared “terrorists and extremists”, according to a notice from the Russian financial intelligence service consulted on Wednesday March 6 by AFP. “An honor that says more about Putin’s fascist regime than about me”reacted the person concerned on his account X, followed by a million people.
“Extremism in the defense of freedom is not a vice; moderation in the search for justice is not a virtue!”he added, quoting a phrase from American politician Barry Goldwater (1909-1998).
Exiled in the United States since 2013
Born in Azerbaijan, Garry Kasparov, 60, was one of the greatest chess players in history before becoming a fierce opponent of Vladimir Putin. In 2013, fearing legal action, he left Russia and now lives in the United States, from where he continues to denounce Russian power and its military campaign in Ukraine.
A few days after the attack on Ukraine in February 2022, he called for Russia to return to“stone Age” by ensuring that Western technologies no longer reach Russian industries. That year, Garry Kasparov had already been designated in Russia “foreign agent”an infamous label massively used against opponents, journalists and human rights activists, and which subjects them to heavy administrative procedures.
