The Ukrainian Chess Federation (UCF) has issued a sharp response following the decision by Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to the Office of the President of Ukraine, to accept the position of FIDE Vice President under newly elected FIDE President Timur Turlov.
Podolyak’s appointment followed the FIDE presidential election on September 26, 2026, in which Turlov, Russian-born businessman under Ukrainian sanctions, won the election race against Wadim Rosenstein and Jan Henric Buettner.
According to UCF First Vice President Volodymyr Kovalchuk, the federation and the global chess community expected Podolyak to reject the offered role within the pro-Russian leadership team. Instead, Podolyak accepted the position and released a nearly 20-minute video explaining his intention to fight Russian influence from within FIDE while criticizing the UCF.
Kovalchuk dismissed these claims, saying that Podolyak’s decision legitimizes Russian presence in FIDE Council, alongside newly elected Vice President Pavel Kolobkov, a former Russian Minister of Sport and close associate of Vladimir Putin.
Kovalchuk further noted that the UCF had already secured major legal victories against Russian interests independently, including a favorable Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling and blocking Russian national teams from competing at the Olympiad.
Political experts interviewed by DW also expressed strong criticism over Podolyak’s move. Ihor Reiterovych, associate professor at Taras Shevchenko Kyiv National University, highlighted that cooperation between Zelensky’s adviser and a sanctioned individual directly undermines Ukraine’s own sanctions framework and moral standing.
Reiterovych and political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko suggested that the appointment may reflect Podolyak seeking a future post or alternative career path outside Bankova amid diminishing political prospects within President Zelenskyy’s team, rather than a coordinated state strategy.
Regardless of Podolyak’s motives or claims, this whole episode imposes a heavy blow to Ukrainian chess. By bypassing the official national body and joining a team alongside sanctioned figures and Russian officials, Podolyak creates internal division, undermines years of legal and diplomatic victories achieved by the UCF, and damages the credibility of Ukrainian chess representation on the international stage.
