so amny of the smartest russ and almost all of the promonant princiled russ have moved away from the country leaving the poorer for their absence .......because of putin !The Russian chess grandmaster who denounced the war and defected to England
So when reigning the Russian champion, grandmaster Nikita Vitiugov, denounced the war in Ukraine along with several other high profile players in 2022, it was a big deal.
One of the best players in the world, he now plays for England.
"In Russian propaganda they consider London to be the capital of hell," he says with a smile.
Now settled into his new home, he is grateful for the freedoms it affords him and his family.
https://news.sky.com/story/ukraine-war-russia-news-putin-nuclear-live-updates-kyiv-12541713
