Former Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich. Photo: Retrieved from Twitter International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess)
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine triggered international sanctions and anti-war noises in Russia. Former Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich said in an interview that “war is the worst thing”.
Dvorkovich was Deputy Prime Minister of Russia from 2012 to 2018 and is now President of the World Chess Federation (FIDE).
Dvorkovic expressed his dissatisfaction with the war in an interview with the American magazine “Mother Jones”. “War is the worst thing a person can face in his life, especially this war”. “My thoughts are with the Ukrainian civilians,” she said. “War kills innocent lives, stifles hope, and destroys international relations.”
In official Russian remarks, the invasion of Ukraine has never been recognized as a “war”, and domestic public opinion is prohibited from using the word “war”. Dvorkovic’s anti-war rhetoric also did not mention condemning President Putin.
Two weeks ago, FIDE joined sanctions against Russia, banning Russian players from representing the country and canceling this summer’s Chess Olympics in Moscow.
FIDE also stripped the former world chess champion Anatoly Karpov of his life ambassador title, who is a current member of the Russian parliament and voted in favor when the national parliament voted to recognize the independence of the Udon region.