Russia Names Kasparov, One of the Greatest Names in Chess History, "Foreign Agent"

The Russia On Friday (20) the rating of “foreign agents” is the former world chess champion Garry Kasparov and the former oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky. The two are in exile and oppose President Vladimir Putin.

This designation, reminiscent of “enemies of the people” from the Soviet era, is used against dissidents, journalists and human rights activists accused of foreign-funded political activities.

“Foreign agents” are subject to a large number of complex regulations and procedures for which non-compliance is subject to severe penalties. They should also indicate this status in all their posts.

In the new list posted on its website, the Russian ministry says that Jodorkovsky, 58, and Kasparov, 59, have “resources” in Ukraine to fund their activities.

Millennium: Garry Kasparov, former chess champion, talks about Russia and Putin

Chess legend Garry Kasparov has long opposed the Russian president and has lived in the United States for nearly ten years.

Mikhail Khodorkovsky, in turn, was one of the most powerful businessmen of the region Russia In the 1990s, it even began to clash with the Kremlin when Putin took power in 2000.

He spent ten years in prison, between 2003 and 2013, then went into exile. For years, he funded the opposition Open Russia organization in his country, which dissolved itself in May 2021 in the face of increasingly stifling repression.