Garry Kasparov joked concerning the label on X, previously Twitter.

Warsaw, Poland:

Russia’s monetary watchdog added chess grandmaster and political activist Garry Kasparov to its record of “terrorists and extremists” on Wednesday.

The 60-year-old former world chess champion has been a longtime opponent of President Vladimir Putin and has repeatedly spoken out in opposition to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Rosfinmonitoring watchdog is accountable for combatting cash laundering and terror financing, and people listed can have their financial institution accounts seized.

It didn’t say why it added Soviet-born Kasparov to the record. The Kremlin typically phrases those that disagree with its offensive “extremist” or “overseas brokers”.

Kasparov joked concerning the label on X, previously Twitter.

“An honor that claims extra about Putin’s fascist regime than about me,” he wrote.

An honor that claims extra about Putin’s fascist regime than about me. As Goldwater stated, extremism within the protection of liberty isn’t any vice and moderation within the pursuit of justice isn’t any advantage! However all opposition, or easy decency, have to be known as an extremist by the dictatorship. https://t.co/OuN27A9InN

— Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) March 6, 2024

Kasparov is broadly thought to be one of many world’s biggest chess gamers and has lived in the USA for over a decade, the place he has targeted on political activism.

In February final yr he urged the West to maintain up its assist for Kyiv and stated Ukraine needed to defeat Moscow as a “pre-condition” for a democratic transition in Russia.

(Aside from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is printed from a syndicated feed.)