Chess legend Garry Kasparov has been on the Russian government’s official “terrorists and extremists” list since this week. Grandmaster and Putin friend Sergey Karjakin thinks this is completely justified.
Stupid and demonstrably false things chess grandmaster Sergey Karjakin has said since the beginning of the Russian attack on Ukraine. The 34-year-old has been a loyal supporter of Vladimir Putin for years and supports pretty much everything the Russian president says.
And so it comes as no surprise that Karjakin expressly welcomes the classification of Garry Kasparov as a “terrorist and extremist.”
Karjakin: “Kasparov is of course hostile to Russia”
“He was already on the list of foreign agents and the state has now decided to formalize it. Kasparov is of course hostile to Russia and those who want to develop our country,” said Karjakin in an interview with the portal “sport24” .
The decision to officially put the living chess legend on the said list was therefore “absolutely logical,” said Karjakin: “He asked for it long and hard and has now gotten what he wanted.” At least on this point Karjakin is right. Kasparov said on Wednesday that he considered it an “honor” to be included on the list by the Putin government.
“Kasparov is the 13th world chess champion, but…”
“If we look at Kasparov outside of his chess career, I feel no pity for this man. He is openly harming Russia and is against our country,” rumbled Karjakin, who spoke out in favor of the attack against Ukraine from the start and explicitly did so welcomed.
At least his compatriot doesn’t question Kasparov’s sporting successes. “No one should doubt that Kasparov is the 13th world chess champion. But each of us must decide for ourselves what kind of citizen we are,” Karjakin said.