Ukraine welcomes FIDE's decision regarding Russia – Minister Bidnyi

For Ukraine, FIDE’s decision regarding Russia is important and highly principled, Matvii Bidnyi, Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine has stated.

"The membership of the Russian Chess Federation has been officially suspended by FIDE. This means that for the next three years, no Russian team or chess player will be able to compete in international competitions under their national symbols," he wrote on his Facebook page.

"For us, this is an important and very principled decision. This is because Russia has for years attempted to use sports and chess as an instrument of influence and, during the war, additionally to legalize the sporting occupation of Ukrainian territories. This is precisely what Ukraine systematically contested, and this is what has finally received a clear response," the minister stated.

Bidnyi has said that the FIDE case should also serve as a signal to other international federations.

As previously reported, the The International Chess Federation (FIDE) has temporarily suspended the membership of the Chess Federation of Russia. In accordance with FIDE regulations and taking into account the recommendations of the International Olympic Committee, measures remain in force that ensure eligible players can participate in international chess competitions under the conditions established by FIDE.

Earlier, it was reported that in March 2026, the Court of Arbitration for Sport ordered the Chess Federation of the Russian Federation to cease all chess activities in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine—in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Sevastopol, as well as in parts of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhia regions.

Prior to this, in June 2024, the CFR’s membership had already been