Podolyak explained why he joined the new FIDE president's team
Mykhailo Podolyak, a special advisor to the Office of the President of Ukraine, spoke about his work on the team of newly elected FIDE President Timur Turlov. The Kazakh businessman is subject to Ukrainian sanctions, but Podolyak explained the reasons for his participation on Turlov’s team.
Podolyak became vice president of the International Chess Federation on Turlov’s team.
“Yes, there is the separate issue that Mr. Turlov is subject to our sanctions, but I understand that this is a somewhat broader issue.
This is not yet within my purview, as it falls exclusively under the authority of the National Security and Defense Council and the president. We can discuss this because the sanctions imposed on Mr. Turlov in 2022 seem a bit strange to me, since he is not a commodities businessman. He is a businessman who operates in global stock markets. He invests in certain assets in various countries. His main firm is based in the U.S. In 2017, he closed all his businesses in Russia.
In 2022, when the full-scale invasion began, not only did he change his citizenship to Kazakhstani and definitively leave behind a country—unfortunately, one that still exists today—such as the Russian Federation, “But, in addition, he has been investing in humanitarian programs in Ukraine for quite some time. But I emphasize once again that this is a separate issue; it is a complex one, I understand,” Podolyak said.
“After Mr. Turlov’s hard-fought victory in the procedural process, I was also offered the position of vice president of the World Chess Federation,” Podolyak noted.
He also emphasized that he wants Ukrainian citizens to assume leadership positions in other sports federations as well.
“In principle, you can talk at length about who you are, what you do, and how you’ll do things, or you can simply show up and get to work. There are always opportunities for that. Ukraine offers such opportunities through the autonomy it grants to anyone today.
And of course, I’ll emphasize this once again: I really want this, and I’ll do a great deal to ensure that Ukrainian citizens take on leading roles in other federations—executive positions, as presidents or vice presidents. It’s complicated; it’s very difficult—I know this from my own experience, given the situation we’re working in today—but it’s necessary, because mere statements aren’t taken seriously anymore. While they were taken seriously at the start of the war, that’s no longer the case today.
What is taken seriously today is responsible behavior—that is, when you’re ready to personally step up and take on a share of the work,” Podolyak said, according to Tribuna.
Earlier, the Ukrainian Chess Federation (UCF) opposed the appointment of Podolyak and the Russian Kolobkov to the FIDE leadership.
The Ukrainian Chess Federation (FCU) issued a statement regarding the possible appointment of Mykhailo Podolyak, a former adviser to the Office of the President of Ukraine, as FIDE vice president should candidate Timur Turlov win the election. The federation alleged illegal actions and described the situation as an attempt at a hostile takeover of the FSU.
