FIDE President and former Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich breaks his silence and condemns the invasion in Ukraine, using the three-letter word (five letters in Russian) banned in his home country. Dvorkovich offers his condolences in a remarkable interview. “My thoughts are with Ukrainian civilians,” the former Kremlin official says as demands for his resignation continue.
FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich spoke publicly about the Russian invasion in Ukraine and offered his condolences to Ukrainian civilians in a remarkable interview | photo: FIDE
Arkady Dvorkovich speaks for the first time publicly in a remarkable interview with the American magazine Mother Jones.
“My thoughts are with Ukrainian civilians”, the FIDE President says. “Wars do not just kill priceless lives. Wars kill hopes and aspirations, freeze or destroy relationships and connections,” he tells Mother Jones' journalist Daniel King (not to be confused with the chess player), who notes that Dvorkovich vigorously opposes the war.
The comments come just days after Ukrainian chess players demanded a blanket ban on all Russian players and the resignation of the FIDE President. Dvorkovich's comments to Mother Jones could be seen as an attempt to distance himself from the Kremlin. The 49-year-old was touring in Latin American and Africa when the invasion started, but is now said to be back in Russia.
“The suffering that is taking place, and will take place, wrenches the soul,” he is quoted as saying by the magazine.
The FIDE President's repeated use of the word “war” is astounding as his former boss Vladimir Putin in early March took censorship to new heights by signing a law that could make it a crime simply to call the war a “war”. The Kremlin consistently says it is a “special military operation” and anyone spreading “false information” about the Ukrainian invasion faces up to 15 years in prison.
Thousands of protesters have already been arrested for spreading the "no to war" ("нет войне") message — or even "*** *****", "two words" or simply a blank piece of paper — with many cases documented through social media, despite Russian authorities now blocking access to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Dvorkovich served in the Kremlin for 10 years, first as an advisor to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev from 2008 to 2012, and then as Deputy Prime Minister when Medvedev was Prime Minister from 2012-2018. Before becoming FIDE President in 2018, he was the Chairman of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
While Dvorkovich has been praised over the last four years for his efforts to stabilise the chess world and increase sponsorship after the controversial tenure of former FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, he has also faced criticism for his close Kremlin ties, criticism that has intensified since the invasion started.
Arkady Dvorkovich during a meeting with Vladimir Putin in 2016 | photo: Alexei Nikolsky, via AP
Evgeny Surov, who runs Russia's most popular chess site chess-news.ru and is known as a fierce critic of both the Russian regime and FIDE, tells chess24 he is surprised by how far Dvorkovich goes and thinks the comments should be seen as an attempt to be reelected as president this year.
“I'm sure his desire to remain FIDE President is the main driving force. Otherwise, he certainly would not have been so “bold”, by Russian standards,” Surov says. He points out that the former Kremlin official is known to be careful with his words.
With the new laws, Surov thinks the comments could be quite risky for Dvorkovich.
“It is believed that Dvorkovich needs his position in FIDE in order to avoid prison. In this sense, it is also interesting whether he will continue to hold on to this position with all his might until the Putin regime falls,” Surov says.
Many Russian chess players have spoken out against Russia's war in Ukraine or signed open letters condemning it, with Gata Kamsky, one of 36 players in total who spoke to Mother Jones, concerned for their safety.
“Such openness in an increasingly hostile environment may lead to tragic consequences, which is why I believe these players should be supported by FIDE and given a chance to seek political asylum,” says the former World Championship challenger.
Former FIDE World Chess Champion Ruslan Ponomariov, whose parents have by now managed to escape Kyiv for Spain, continued calls for Dvorkovich to resign.
“FIDE must change. It can’t be ruled by Russia with bloody Russian money. I believe Dvorkovich should resign. The sooner it will be done, the less time could be wasted to normalize the work of FIDE,” he commented.
Another former FIDE World Champion, Bulgaria's Veselin Topalov, renewed calls for a ban on Russian players.
“I believe Russian chess players should be banned from all international events, not because they all support the Russian aggression, but because that’s the way to stop it as quickly as possible.”
The main emotion, however, is perhaps of collective grief. US Chess Champion Wesley So described himself as, “disturbed, restless and in grief”. Concern for the safety of Ukrainian chess players is growing, with the country's no. 6 Igor Kovalenko posting this harrowing story on Twitter.
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