The Ukrainian Chess Federation has accused Podolyak and Turlov of illegal actions

The Ukrainian Chess Federation (UCF) issued a statement regarding the possible appointment of Mykhailo Podolyak, a former adviser to the Office of the President of Ukraine, as vice president of FIDE 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 UCF.

The Ukrainian federation does not support Turlov’s candidacy—he has been subject to Ukrainian sanctions since October 2022—nor has it authorized Podolyak to represent the Ukrainian federation.

"The Ukrainian Chess Federation declares that:

1. It does not support the candidacy of Timur Turlov in the FIDE presidential election, as he has been subject to 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.

2. It has not received a proposal from Timur Turlov to delegate a representative of Ukraine to his team.

3. It has not authorized Mykhailo Podoliak to represent the Ukrainian Chess Federation on Timur Turlov’s team.

4. Mykhailo Podoliak has no connection whatsoever to the Ukrainian Chess Federation or the chess community in Ukraine; he has never in any way assisted or supported the UCF, nor has he had any connection to FIDE.

5. According to the FIDE Statutes, for a representative from a country to be included in FIDE’s leadership, a nomination is required from the national chess federation of the country he represents. Therefore, the actions of Timur Turlov and Mykhailo Podolyak—which consist solely of correspondence between two individuals on social media—are illegal and constitute an attempt at a hostile takeover of the UCF,” the statement reads.

The FSU emphasized that Podolyak has no connection to the federation or the chess community in Ukraine, and described his potential inclusion in FIDE’s leadership without a nomination from the national federation as illegal.

The federation announced its intention to defend its rights in court if the situation is not resolved and called on Podolyak to take Ukraine’s national interests into account.

This was reported by the FSU press service.

Ihor Samunenkov is representing Ukraine at the Chess Olympiad in Samarkand.

The world’s youngest grandmaster, Ihor Samunenkov, on his plans for 2026: an exclusive interview.

As a reminder, the Russian Chess Federation can no longer operate in Crimea and the Donbas.