Kasparov and Ponomarev: Who were the targets of the Russian network planning assassinations in the US?

Former world chess champion and prominent Kremlin opponent Garry Kasparov and former Russian lawmaker Ilya Ponomarev were among the dissidents that a network linked to Russian intelligence services intended to assassinate on U.S. soil, according to an investigation published by El Mundo.

The report now provides names in connection with a plot that the U.S. Department of Justice made public in mid-September, when it charged five people of being part of a network that allegedly conducted surveillance and organized contract killings of Russian opposition figures both inside and outside the United States.

Until now, the U.S. Attorney's Office had identified the targets solely as victims, without revealing their identities. In the indictment, authorities detailed that one of them had been under surveillance in Washington and that those responsible went so far as to offer $40,000 for his assassination.

Kasparov reportedly received special protection

According to El Mundo, U.S. authorities informed Garry Kasparov this summer that he was the target of a plot to assassinate him and provided him with special protection.

Kasparov, who founded the Free Russia Forum along with other dissidents, has been living outside Russia since 2013. The newspaper reports that sources close to him confirmed that U.S. authorities had directly warned him of the danger.

The former world chess champion has been politically opposing the Kremlin for more than two decades. Following the start of the large-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia added him to its registry of 'foreign agents' and subsequently to its list of 'terrorists and extremists.' This year, Moscow also placed him on an international wanted list, according to the Spanish media outlet.

Ponomarev, another target

The second name identified by the investigation is Ilya Ponomarev, a former member of the Russian Duma who, in 2014, was the only lawmaker to vote against the annexation of Crimea.

Ponomarev left Russia and later settled in Ukraine. Following the large-scale Russian invasion, he joined the Ukrainian territorial defense forces and has spurred the creation of various organizations opposed to Vladimir Putin's government.

According to El Mundo, Ponomarev also maintains a residence and an office in Washington. A person recruited by the alleged Russian network reportedly photographed and recorded two locations linked to the so-called "Victim No. 1" in the U.S. indictment. The newspaper links that target to Ponomarev.

The person in charge of surveillance was supposed to obtain recent images from different angles and verify their authenticity by making prearranged gestures in front of the camera. The network reportedly paid between $1,000 and $1,500 for the reconnaissance tasks.

The assassination plot was never carried out after the recruited individual refused to participate in the next phase.

A plot already indicted by Washington

As VOZ previously reported, the Department of Justice charged five individuals—two Russian citizens, two Cubans, and one Venezuelan—with allegedly working for a network serving the intelligence services of the Russian Federation.

The prosecution alleges that the organization, active since at least 2024, recruited individuals to monitor opponents, carry out acts of sabotage, and organize assassinations in the United States and Europe. The five defendants remain at large.

The official indictment does not identify Kasparov, Ponomarev, or Kara-Murza as victims. The connection of their names to the plans stems from the investigation published by El Mundo and from sources close to the opposition figures cited by that newspaper.