Russian opposition leader and former world chess champion Garry Kasparov has condemned proposals to ease sanctions against Moscow in exchange for the release of Russian political prisoners. He warned that any such deal would strengthen Vladimir Putin's military machine and lead directly to more Ukrainian deaths.
In an interview with independent Russian broadcaster TV Rain (Dozhd), Kasparov rejected the argument that freeing Kremlin critics could justify concessions that might help Russia continue its invasion of Ukraine. He said exchanging political prisoners for sanctions relief would give Russia greater capacity to kill Ukrainians, and that Russia does this every day.
Kasparov argued that sanctions are a direct constraint on Russia's ability to finance and manufacture weapons. He said lifting sanctions means increasing military power, and that lower prices mean more drones and more missiles. Those missiles, he said, fly toward Kyiv and every Ukrainian city, killing people every day.
His remarks come amid renewed US-Russian diplomatic contacts and reports that the Trump administration has considered easing some sanctions in return for the release of Russian prisoners. The Atlantic reported in September that US envoy John Coale discussed the idea with Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dmitry Muratov before presenting it to President Donald Trump, and that Trump agreed to explore the approach.
Kasparov said the sanctions regime makes it more expensive for Russia to obtain Western-made components used in missiles and drones, even when those components reach Moscow through intermediaries. Reducing restrictions, he said, would lower procurement costs and enable Russian manufacturers to increase weapons production. He said the fewer sanctions there are, the more of these components will reach Russia, and that more money from oil and gas sanctions means Putin's war machine will kill more people in Ukraine.
Despite his criticism of the peace process, Kasparov defended Zelensky's participation in the talks. He said Ukraine could not afford to alienate Washington while it remained dependent on American military and intelligence capabilities, and that Zelensky could only be sympathized with because he has to take part in negotiations Kasparov called meaningless.
Following the Oslo discussions, Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff traveled to Russia and met Putin in St. Petersburg on Oct. 21, where Moscow signaled its willingness to resume trilateral talks with Ukraine and the US. Kasparov argued that the negotiations would continue as long as Washington retained significant influence over Kyiv through its military and intelligence support.