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Russian Chess Federation Banned From Holding Events in Temporarily Occupied Regions by Court of Arbitration for Sport
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![Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko]( "Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko")
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has ordered the Russian Chess Federation to stop organizing competitions and any related activity in Ukrainian territories under Russian occupation, including Crimea, Sevastopol, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia.
According to Politico on April 6, the decision, issued in March, overturns a previous ruling by International Chess Federation (FIDE), which had acknowledged violations but imposed only a $52,000 fine. The court found that penalty “evidently and grossly disproportionate” and gave the Russian federation 90 days to comply.
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The case was brought by the Ukrainian Chess Federation, which argued that holding official events in occupied regions undermines Ukraine’s territorial integrity. The ruling is seen as a significant development in how international sports bodies address geopolitical conflicts.
Ukrainian Chess Federation President Oleksandr Kamyshin said the decision establishes a clear legal position.
“CAS has confirmed that no international federation can turn a blind eye to actions that attempt to legitimize occupation,” he said. “It sends a strong signal that aggression cannot be normalized through sporting institutions.”
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“This ruling significantly limits Russia’s ability to use sport as a tool to legitimize its occupation,” Kamyshin added. “Equally important, it establishes an important precedent: There is now a clear legal position that other federations can rely on in similar cases. This extends beyond chess. It sends a signal to all international sports organizations that legitimizing occupation through sport is unacceptable.”
The legal effort was led by Ukrainian grandmaster Andrii Baryshpolets and Danish grandmaster Peter Heine Nielsen, with support from Covington & Burling.
Nielsen said the ruling has both symbolic and practical implications.
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“This ruling demonstrates that no matter how the Kremlin may view these regions, they will not be considered part of Russia for everyday life, including sports, culture, or chess,” he said. “It was important to establish that Russia organizing chess in occupied territories was not ‘humanitarian,’ as FIDE President [Arkady] Dvorkovich once described it. Russia organizes chess systematically in occupied territory and uses it for propaganda.”
Ukraine’s Minister of Youth and Sports, Matvii Bidnyi, said the decision strengthens Ukraine’s position in international sport and could support further legal action against Russian federations operating in occupied areas.
The Russian Chess Federation has indicated it may disregard the ruling. Alexander Tkachev said, “We live according to the laws of the Russian Federation. We have complied with them, we are complying with them, and we will continue to comply with them,” adding that the decision “contradicts Russian law.”
The ruling comes amid broader efforts by Ukraine to challenge Russia’s use of sport in support of its war. Earlier, Volodymyr Zelenskyy approved sanctions against 10 Russian athletes and sports officials, signaling that sporting institutions are not separate from political and military realities when they are used to advance state interests.
According to Ukraine’s Presidential Office, the sanctions were intended to demonstrate that “sports are not beyond politics” when they are used to justify or support Russia’s actions in Ukraine.
Those targeted were accused of actions such as visiting occupied Ukrainian territories, publicly endorsing Russia’s aggression, raising funds for Russian forces, or taking part in activities involving Ukrainian children whom Kyiv says were illegally deported.
Among those sanctioned is Arkady Dvorkovich linking the measures directly to the broader dispute over chess governance and Russia’s activities in occupied regions. The list also includes athletes from wrestling, taekwondo, fencing, gymnastics, judo, boxing, and archery.
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