Chess body chief Dvorkovich, ex-Kremlin official, condemns wars -Mother Jones

International Chess Federation (FIDE) chief Arkady Dvorkovich, a former Russian deputy prime minister, decried wars on Monday, saying they go beyond killing people.

"Wars are the worst things one might face in life ..., including this war," Dvorkovich told Mother Jones in an interview. "My thoughts are with Ukrainian civilians."

Dvorkovich, who served as a deputy prime minister in 2012-2018 following a stint as the top Kremlin economic adviser to then-President Dmitry Medvedev, said he remained in Russia.

"Wars do not just kill priceless lives," Dvorkovich was quoted as saying. "Wars kill hopes and aspirations, freeze or destroy relationships and connections."

The war in Ukraine began on Feb. 24 when Russian President Vladimir Putin launched what he called a "special military operation," the biggest attack on a European state since World War Two.

(Reporting by Lidia Kelly; Editing by Richard Chang)