Garry Kasparov joked about the brand on X (formerly Twitter).
Warsaw, Poland:
Russia’s financial regulator on Wednesday added chess grandmaster and political activist Garry Kasparov to its list of “terrorists and extremists.”
The 60-year-old former chess champion has been a long-time rival of Russian President Vladimir Putin and has repeatedly spoken out against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Russia’s financial regulator is responsible for combating money laundering and terrorist financing, and those on the list may have their bank accounts confiscated.
It did not say why Soviet-born Kasparov was added to the list. The Kremlin often refers to those who disagree with its aggression as “extremists” or “foreign agents.”
Kasparov joked about the hashtag on X (formerly Twitter).
“This honor says more about Putin’s fascist regime than it does about me,” he wrote.
This honor says more about Putin’s fascist regime than it does about me. As Goldwater said, extremism in defense of freedom is not a vice, and moderation in the pursuit of justice is not a virtue! But all opposition, or simply decent, must be called extremists by the dictator. https://t.co/OuN27A9InN
— Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) March 6, 2024
Kasparov, widely regarded as one of the world’s greatest chess players, has lived in the United States for more than a decade, focusing on political activism.
Last February, he urged the West to continue supporting Kiev and said Ukraine must defeat Moscow as a “prerequisite” for Russia’s democratic transition.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
