Anand has made it clear that he will not stand for the FIDE deputy president’s post again. He will, however, continue to be part of Dvorkovich’s campaign team as the incumbent president eyes a third term in the September elections scheduled in Samarkand.

Dvorkovich released a statement late on Thursday, calling the sanction “unlawful and unfair” and vowing to challenge the decision by all “possible means.”

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“Today, the EU decision to include my name in the 21st sanctions list was published. I want to state unequivocally that I consider this decision unlawful and unfair, and this decision will be immediately challenged by all possible means. I am confident that justice will prevail,” read the statement from the FIDE president.

“However, given that until a formal court decision is rendered and/or such decision is cancelled or amended, these sanctions could hinder the stable functioning of FIDE, I have decided to voluntarily suspend the exercise of my powers and duties as FIDE President with immediate effect and for as long as I remain subject to sanctions under the EU and Swiss laws and regulations. In accordance with the FIDE Charter, the duties of the President will be assumed by the FIDE Deputy President, the 15th World Champion, Viswanathan Anand,” the statement added.

Dvorkovich’s statement came hours after Ukraine’s Minister of Youth and Sports, Matvii Bidnyi, revealed that Dvorkovich had been included in the 21st sanctions package against Russia, alongside Mikhail Degtyarev, Russia’s Sports Minister and President of the Russian Olympic Committee.

“Arkady Dvorkovich promotes the interests of the Kremlin while holding the position of president of the International Chess Federation. Both of them consistently use their positions to spread the narratives of the aggressor state and legitimize Russia in world sports,” Bidnyi wrote on Facebook.

“The inclusion of them in the EU sanctions list confirms that Kremlin officials and their lobbyists have no place in the civilized sports community. Sports cannot exist separately from international law during a war,” he added.

The EU sanctions list accuses Dvorkovich of leveraging his FIDE presidency to advance Russian agendas that threaten Ukraine’s sovereignty. The entry highlights his past government roles in Russia and notes that the Kremlin celebrated his 2022 re-election as a diplomatic win for Moscow.

According to the EU, Dvorkovich has openly backed Russia’s annexation of Crimea and referred to occupied Ukrainian territories as Russia’s “new regions.” The sanctions also point to his involvement with the Russian Chess Federation’s Board of Trustees, which includes other EU-sanctioned individuals. The federation, the EU alleges, has held tournaments in illegally annexed areas including Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson, with Dvorkovich playing a central role in those decisions.