EU sanctions force FIDE president Arkady Dvorkovich to step aside

The president of the International Chess Federation, Arkady Dvorkovich, has said he is stepping aside after being placed on the European Union's latest sanctions list. The move has thrown the governing body of world chess into turmoil and raised fresh questions about Russia's influence in the sport. Dvorkovich said he would voluntarily suspend the exercise of his powers and duties, but told the BBC he had not resigned.

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Dvorkovich, 54, is a former deputy prime minister of Russia and a former adviser to the Kremlin. The EU said his inclusion on the sanctions list was linked to publicly supporting the annexation of Crimea and referring to occupied Ukrainian cities as "new territories" of the Russian Federation. The measures include an EU travel ban and asset freeze, according to the row's supporting material.

The EU also cited his role on the board of the Chess Federation of Russia, which has organised tournaments in occupied areas of Ukraine. Ukraine welcomed the decision, describing it as an important victory. Volodymyr Kovalchuk, first vice president of the Ukrainian Chess Federation, said people who develop sport in the interests of an aggressor state have no place in senior international positions.

Malcolm Pein, England's representative to FIDE, called the move an earthquake and a major diplomatic victory for Ukraine. He said it could significantly reduce Russia's influence in world chess, where the former Soviet Union and then Russia have long been dominant and have used the game as a form of soft power. Dvorkovich was first elected FIDE president in 2018 and re-elected in 2022.

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His decision comes after more than four years of full-scale war in Ukraine, during which Russian national teams were banned from international chess competitions. The latest sanctions decision places a senior figure in global sport directly inside the wider dispute over Russia's war and its political reach. It also highlights how international federations can become arenas for broader diplomatic conflict when officials are linked to state policy.

The case matters because FIDE is one of the most visible international sporting bodies and because chess has long carried political significance in Russia and the former Soviet Union. The EU's action suggests that support for Russia's claims over Crimea and occupied Ukrainian cities remains a live issue in sanctions policy. It also adds pressure on FIDE at a time when its leadership and internal rules have already been scrutinised by Ukraine and its allies.

The federation has not set out any immediate succession process in the material provided. What remains unclear is how long Dvorkovich's suspension will last and whether it will lead to a formal resignation or a temporary transfer of authority. It is also not yet clear what practical effect the sanctions will have on his ability to participate in FIDE affairs outside the EU.

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