‘More Money Means More Dead Ukrainians’ – Kasparov Warns Against Deals With Moscow

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, warning that any such deal would strengthen Vladimir Putin’s military machine and lead directly to more Ukrainian deaths.

In a heated interview with independent Russian broadcaster TV Rain (Dozhd), Kasparov rejected arguments that the humanitarian goal of freeing Kremlin critics could justify concessions that might help Russia continue its invasion of Ukraine.

“Exchanging political prisoners for sanctions relief means Russia will have greater capacity to kill Ukrainians,” Kasparov said. “It does this every day.”

He argued that sanctions are not merely diplomatic pressure but a direct constraint on Russia’s ability to finance and manufacture weapons.

“Lifting sanctions means increasing military power,” he said. “Lower prices mean more drones and more missiles. These missiles fly toward Kyiv and every Ukrainian city, killing people every day.”

Kasparov’s 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 proposal was reported by The Atlantic in September, which said US envoy John Coale had discussed the idea with Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dmitry Muratov before presenting it to President Donald Trump. According to the report, Trump agreed to explore the approach.

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‘Every easing of sanctions helps Putin kill more Ukrainians’

Kasparov argued that 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.

“The fewer sanctions there are, the more of these components will reach Russia,” he said.

“Oil sanctions, gas sanctions – more money means one thing: Putin’s war machine will kill more people in Ukraine,” he said.

‘Zelensky has no other choice’

Despite his criticism of the peace process, Kasparov defended Zelensky’s participation in the talks, saying Ukraine could not afford to alienate Washington while it remained dependent on American military and intelligence capabilities.

“Zelensky can only be sympathized with, because he has to participate in these meaningless negotiations,” Kasparov said.

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.