2024-03-14 04:04:18
The legendary Russian chess player turned critic of the Kremlin, Garry Kasparov, called on Western countries to provide stronger support to Ukraine in its war against Russia, reported France Press.
In an interview with AFP, the former world chess champion, who was last week put on Russia’s “extremist” list, called on Western leaders to keep aid flowing to Kiev in the face of a “terrorist regime that understands only force”.
“Today, the West refuses to say these three words: ‘Ukraine must win,'” Kasparov pointed out.
The 60-year-old exiled opposition figure also blamed the death in prison last month of opposition leader Alexei Navalny on the Kremlin, which he said was a “new stage” in Putin’s crackdown.
Garry Kasparov yesterday called on Western countries to include the voices of the Russian opposition in the international campaign against the invasion of Ukraine.
“To defeat Putinism and all the forces of evil that it represents, we need a coalition that includes a Russian component, like (Charles) De Gaulle’s Free France,” he said, referring to the French general’s resistance movement abroad in during World War II.
Along with other dissidents, Garry Kasparov says he is working on a plan for the future of the Russian opposition.
“Today we have to create the matrix of a free Russia, outside of Russia, which we half-jokingly call ‘virtual Taiwan,'” he says.
However, the Russian opposition is proverbially fragmented, and Navalny’s camp has clashed with Kasparov’s in the past.
In recent weeks, new divisions have emerged among Russian dissidents over how best to articulate opposition to the Kremlin in Russia’s presidential election.
The elections are held from Friday to Sunday, and there is no doubt that Vladimir Putin will win again, as not a single candidate from the “non-systemic opposition” was allowed.
Garry Kasparov is urging Western countries to accept Russians who oppose the war, including computer developers and engineers involved in the production of drones and other weapons.
“Give them a chance to leave, give them a chance to switch sides,” argued the oppositionist, who said it would “significantly undermine Putin’s ability to wage war.”
Garry Kasparov also expressed his disappointment with the weakening of Western support for Ukraine. Recently entering its third year of war, the country is facing difficulties on the front line at a time when crucial aid is blocked in the US Congress by Republican opposition.
According to the former chess player, Western sanctions against Russia have not achieved much.
Joe Biden “promised devastating consequences” for Russia, but “where are those devastating consequences?” asked Garry Kasparov.
“Unfortunately, the West is lagging behind and any weakness shown by it is an invitation for Putin to show even greater aggression,” said the oppositionist.
He added: “The war has become an algorithm for the survival of the Putin regime,” BTA writes.