Moscow issues arrest warrant for former chess champion Kasparov on terrorism charges
A Moscow court has issued an arrest warrant in absentia for Garry Kasparov, the former world chess champion and Russian opposition figure, on charges of public apology for terrorism.
December 23, 2025 - 01:42 PM ET • 2 min read
A Moscow district court issued an arrest warrant in absentia against Garry Kasparov, the former world chess champion and prominent Kremlin opponent, on charges of public apology for terrorism, according to court filings released Tuesday.
The Zamoskvoretsky District Court in Moscow issued the warrant on December 22. The charge carries a potential sentence of five to seven years in prison under Russian criminal law. A two-month period of preventive detention was set to begin upon Kasparov's arrest or extradition to Russia.
Kasparov, who held the world chess championship from 1985 to 2000, currently resides in New York. He has lived abroad for more than a decade and has been a vocal critic of the Kremlin for years. He stepped back from his chess career three years ago to focus on political activism.
The charges relate to Kasparov's political activities and public statements. He is a co-founder of the Committee Against the War and has explicitly stated that military defeat for Moscow in Ukraine is the only path to democracy in Russia. According to Russian legal doctrine, such statements are treated as treason and support for terrorism.
Kasparov was added to Russia's registry of "foreign agents" in May 2022, shortly after Moscow launched its military operation in Ukraine. He was subsequently placed on a list of extremists. In October 2025, Russian authorities opened a criminal case against Kasparov and other opposition figures, including former Yukos oil company chief Mikhail Khodorkovsky and former Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov, on charges of terrorism and attempting to seize power by force.
Beyond the terrorism charges, Kasparov's political activities have drawn scrutiny from Moscow authorities. He is involved with the Free Russia Forum, established in Lithuania, which positions itself as an institutional alternative to the Kremlin. This activity has been viewed by Russian officials as part of a broader pattern of opposition to the government.