# Russian dissident Garry Kasparov cancels Berlin trip over assassination threat, saying officials have let Putin turn Europe into a playground

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/russian-dissident-garry-kasparov-cancels-berlin-trip-over-assassination-threat-saying-officials-have-let-putin-turn-europe-into-a-playground/
- Published: 2026-11-10T17:36:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-10T18:40:56+00:00
- Original publisher: Meduza
- Original article: https://meduza.io/en/news/2026/11/10/russian-dissident-garry-kasparov-cancels-berlin-trip-over-assassination-threat-saying-officials-have-let-putin-turn-europe-into-a-playground
- Topics: Europe, World

## Key points

- Kasparov cancelled his Berlin trip after a security warning.
- He said the journey posed an unjustifiable risk.
- He accused European leaders of failing to deter Putin.

## Summary

Russian opposition figure and former world chess champion Garry Kasparov cancelled his planned appearance at Berlin Freedom Week after security services warned that travelling could put his life at risk. In a recorded address, he said he had been advised against the trip and criticised European authorities, arguing that their response had allowed Vladimir Putin to make Europe a “playground”.

Kasparov referred to reports that Russia was trying to kill him and warned that if Putin could reach him in Europe, he could reach anyone. In late September, El Mundo reported that Russian authorities had spent months planning to kill him in the United States; US authorities also said they had uncovered a five-person group preparing attacks on Russian dissidents on Moscow’s orders. Berlin Freedom Week runs from 7 to 14 November and includes about 170 events.

---
Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.