The Ukrainian Chess Federation (UCF) has appealed to the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) to open criminal proceedings against Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the President of Ukraine, because of his joining the leadership of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), headed by sanctioned businessman Timur Turlov, reports UNN.
On September 26, 2026, a new president of the organization was elected at the FIDE General Assembly. He was Timur Turlov, who has been under sanctions imposed by a decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine and enacted by a decree of the President of Ukraine since October 2022. In addition, according to available information, other effective sanctions against Turlov are being prepared. At the General Assembly meeting, Timur Turlov announced that Ukrainian citizen Mykhailo Podolyak and Russian Federation citizen Pavel Kolobkov had been appointed to the positions of FIDE vice presidents
The UCF emphasized that it had not authorized Podolyak to represent the Federation at FIDE, noting that he has no connection to the Ukrainian Chess Federation or chess life in Ukraine.
Russian Federation citizen Pavel Kolobkov, a former sports minister of the Russian Federation, cannot hold positions at FIDE, since the membership of the Chess Federation of the Russian Federation in FIDE is currently suspended. The UCF demands that Mykhailo Podolyak and Pavel Kolobkov not be appointed to the positions of FIDE vice presidents
The UCF believes that Podolyak's actions, committed during the full-scale armed aggression of the Russian Federation, undermine sovereignty and have a negative impact on Ukraine's image.
The UCF asks the Security Service of Ukraine to assess Mykhailo Podolyak's actions and open criminal proceedings concerning treason against Ukraine's national interests. The UCF also calls on the Ukrainian public and mass media to properly assess Mykhailo Podolyak's actions. When you hear an air-raid alert, the sounds of Shahed drones, missiles, and explosions, know that at that time Mykhailo Podolyak is cooperating with the Russians as a FIDE vice president
Context
As previously reported, on Saturday, September 26, Timur Turlov, president of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation, was elected president of the International Chess Federation. Turlov won in the second round, receiving 110 votes. At the age of 38, he became the second-youngest FIDE president ever elected.
Delegates representing 196 national chess federations took part in the election, with three candidates competing. In the first round, Turlov received 96 votes, Vadim Rosenstein (Germany) received 76 votes, and Jan Henrik Büttner (Germany) received 20 votes. A total of 192 votes were cast.
In the second round, Turlov won with 110 votes against 85 (196 votes in total), becoming FIDE's eighth president. He replaced Arkady Dvorkovich, who had served two terms as president, from 2018 to 2026.
On September 21, Turlov wrote on the social network X: "Ukraine is one of the world's most prominent chess nations. Its remarkable tradition has produced generations of outstanding players and coaches. Even during an exceptionally difficult time for the country, Ukrainian chess has remained strong and enjoyed international respect."
He added that FIDE is a global organization and cannot function in isolation from what is happening in the world. Ukraine should have its voice in the room when decisions are discussed and adopted, as well as the opportunity to directly raise issues important to its chess community.
"I would like to invite Ukraine to join our team and nominate its representative for the position of FIDE vice president if we are elected. Mykhailo Podolyak, continuing our recent conversation, I would personally like to ask you to consider this proposal and help bring Ukrainian representation in the FIDE leadership to life," Turlov added.
Podolyak responded as follows: "I am very interested in international federations leaving intrigue and politics behind. I want them to focus on returning to their fundamental goals: promoting humanism and determination, as well as achieving leadership through fair and open competition."
"Of course, I am also very interested in FIDE restoring its historic glory as the \"capital\" of intellectual sport. Moreover, I am deeply convinced that Ukraine should play a much more significant role in world sport — so that its voice is heard regularly, reasonably, and loudly. I support your reformist vision and am ready to personally join the new FIDE team," Podolyak wrote.
Several days later, the Ukrainian Chess Federation issued a statement, which said that the Federation:
- does not support Timur Turlov's candidacy in the FIDE presidential election, as he has been under sanctions since October 2022, imposed by a decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine and enacted by a decree of the President of Ukraine;
- has not received an offer from Timur Turlov to delegate a representative of Ukraine to his team;
- did not authorize Mykhailo Podolyak to represent the Ukrainian Chess Federation on Timur Turlov's team.
Mykhailo Podolyak has no connection whatsoever with the Ukrainian Chess Federation or Ukraine's chess community; he has never helped or assisted the UCF in any way, nor has he had any connection with FIDE. In order to include a country's representative in the FIDE leadership, under the FIDE Statutes, a nomination from the national chess federation of the country the representative represents is required. Therefore, the actions of Timur Turlov and Mykhailo Podolyak are merely correspondence between two individuals on social media, and these actions are illegal and constitute an attempt to conduct a raider takeover of the UCF. The UCF calls on both individuals who created this unprecedented situation in the history of chess to publish a retraction of this initiative and to stop violating the law. The UCF also advises Mykhailo Podolyak to take Ukraine's national interests into account in the future. If all lawful actions by the UCF are ignored, the UCF will defend its rights in court. We ask the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov, Prime Minister of Ukraine Serhii Koretskyi, and Minister of Sport of Ukraine Matvii Bidnyi to monitor this situation
FIDE has suspended the membership of the Chess Federation of Russia11.06.26, 11:29
What is known about Timur Turlov
Timur Turlov — a Kazakh businessman of Russian origin — was born in Moscow. On October 19, 2022, sanctions were imposed on Turlov for a period of five years by Presidential Decree No. 726/2022.
The reason was accusations that his financial company, Freedom Holding Corp., which was also sanctioned, was helping finance Russia's war against Ukraine.
Turlov himself denied the accusations, stating that he holds a Kazakh, not a Russian, passport.
Freedom Holding Corp. President Askar Tashtitov stated: "The company has been operating in this country for many years, developing its economy, stock market, and its infrastructure. We consider the imposition of the restrictions to be a mechanical error. We are currently in the process of appealing the decision — we have submitted appeals to all relevant authorities with complete information about our activities and the company's structure."
Russian Dvorkovich left the post of FIDE president due to EU sanctions 24.07.26, 17:54