Matvey Bidnyi supported the decision of the European Chess Union to extend sanctions against Russia and Belarus. This was reported by the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, UNN reports.
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The Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, Matviy Bidnyi, welcomed the recent decision of the European Chess Union to extend sanctions against the chess federations of Russia and Belarus. The ECU called on the international chess federation to maintain the restrictions imposed in 2022 and also condemned the actions of the Russian chess federation, which included the temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories in its structure.
I sincerely welcome the fair statement of the European Chess Union to extend sanctions against the Russian and Belarusian chess federations on the eve of the FIDE General Assembly. We must work together to prevent the return of agents of Russia's hybrid influence to the international sports community as long as the war against Ukraine, unleashed by Russia and supported by Belarus, continues. Sanctions against Russia and Belarus should only increase as long as the war continues, as dictatorial regimes are trying to legitimize the war against Ukraine by using sport and athletes to do so
The minister announced an initiative to impose personal sanctions against FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich if Russian chess players are admitted to international competitions.
President of the Ukrainian Chess Federation Oleksandr Kamyshin also expressed support for the ECU's decision. He emphasized that the return of Russian players to international tournaments is unacceptable.
The European Chess Union condemned the actions of the Russian chess federation and called on FIDE to take measures to stop their activities in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.