Kasparov is known for his long-term criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin. From abroad, he leads the opposition platform United Civic Front against him.
“I have been fighting against Putin for twenty years and I have always said that his regime will necessarily become a fascist threat – not only to Russia or its neighbors, but to the whole world,” Kasparov said in an interview with Spiegel.
Who is Garry Kasparov?
Garry Kasparov became famous as a chess grandmaster – from 1985 to 2000 he continuously held the title of World Chess Champion. He was the highest-ranked chess player in the world for 255 consecutive weeks, creating a record that has not yet been broken. Although he was a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union until the 1990s, after Putin came to power he began to oppose the Russian government. After the end of his chess career in 2005, he founded the United Citizen Front, an opposition platform against Putin. After one of the demonstrations, he spent five days in custody. He left Russia in 2013, saying he would never return to the country. He lived in New York and Split, he also applied for Croatian citizenship and still lives alternately in the USA and Croatia. After criticizing the war in Ukraine, Kasparov is listed as a foreign agent in Russia.
The chess grandmaster demands that those who want to be on the right side of history pack up and leave Russia immediately.
Ukraine has officially banned itself from dealing with Putin
The war in Ukraine
“It’s a war, you’re either on one or the other side of the front. Every Russian citizen, including me, bears collective, if not personal, responsibility for this war. Russia today is a fascist dictatorship, committing crimes against humanity. And everyone who lives in Russia now is part of this war machine, whether they want it or not,” Kasparov said.
The chess player has been living alternately with his family in New York and Split for a long time, for which some Russians also criticize him. According to them, it is easy to criticize the regime from abroad and place collective blame on others when some neighboring countries of Russia forbid issuing visas to Russians. According to Kasparov, this also has a solution.
Chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov outlined the conditions for Putin’s overthrow
The war in Ukraine
“That’s why I proposed to accept (in countries neighboring Russia) only those Russians who sign a declaration with three principles: war is criminal, Putin’s regime is illegitimate, and Ukraine must not be divided,” Kasparov listed.
In the spring, Russia will be exhausted and lose
The multiple world chess champion also predicted in the interview that the war in Ukraine will end next spring. “Putin’s military and economic capacities will be exhausted in the spring. By April at the latest, he will run out of ammunition and the economy will no longer be able to cover even the basic needs of Russians,” Kasparov predicted, adding that Putin is already looking for a good starting position for negotiations with the Ukrainians.
We have always treated the Ukrainian people with great respect, Putin assured the teacher
Foreign
According to him, the defeat for Russia can be similar to the defeat of Nazi Germany in the Second World War in 1945. Especially because it will be more visible. In Russia, according to him, there will be a large-scale collapse after the end of the war, after which the country will try to start again – to establish cooperation with the rest of Europe and shake off sanctions.
“Dictator Putin never played chess, but poker, and he was good at geopolitical poker. He often won even with bad cards because his opponents succumbed to his bluffing. Now he instinctively knows that defeat in this war can cost him political and physical survival,” Kasparov described the ruling Russian president for more than two decades.
“Fast and strong.” Ukrainians gained 1,000 square kilometers in the south of the country in five days
Foreign
