Story perspectives

Justice Department Unseals Assassination Plot Indictment Against Russian Network

By Drooid · Oct 1, 2026, 3:45 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

U.S. and Lithuanian security services warned Garry Kasparov that his life was in danger.
Kasparov said he and Ivan Tyutrin were not explicit targets but took precautions.
The U.S. Justice Department unsealed a September 15, 2026 indictment charging five men with Russian-linked assassination plots.
Prosecutors said the network offered $1,000-$1,500 for surveillance and $40,000 to kill a target.
El Mundo reported the plot also targeted former Russian lawmaker Ilya Ponomaryov.

History

Historical Context

In September 1978 the Soviet-backed Bulgarian secret service killed dissident Georgi Markov on London’s Waterloo Bridge with an umbrella-gun that fired a 2 mm ricin pellet, a hallmark of Cold-War state assassinations. Decades later U.S. prosecutors allege a Russian-linked network offered cash to eliminate former chess champion Garry Kasparov and ex-law-maker Ilya Ponomaryov, reviving fears that such covert killings persist.

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Story summary

U.S. and Lithuanian security services warned Garry Kasparov that his life was in danger.
Kasparov said he and Ivan Tyutrin were not explicit targets but took precautions.
The U.S. Justice Department unsealed a September 15, 2026 indictment charging five men with Russian-linked assassination plots.
Prosecutors said the network offered $1,000-$1,500 for surveillance and $40,000 to kill a target.
El Mundo reported the plot also targeted former Russian lawmaker Ilya Ponomaryov.

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