Overview
- Kasparow said in a videobroadcast on Monday that security services warned a trip to Berlin would be an unnecessary risk and that he is not safe in Germany, so he will take part in Freedom Week remotely.
- Media reports from earlier this year say Kasparow appears on a list of possible assassination targets of Russian agents, a claim he has publicly raised since October.
- Berlin’s Governing Mayor Kai Wegner called Kasparow’s absence an alarm signal for Germany and Europe and urged stronger measures against Russian intelligence activities.
- Freedom Week continues through November 14 with roughly 170 events and many dissidents attending, and Kasparow remains a co-founder of the World Liberty Congress that helped start the festival.
- The episode highlights the reach of suspected Russian extraterritorial threats, raises pressure on German security services to protect opposition figures, and could discourage in-person participation by exiled activists abroad.