Arkady Dvorkovich, the Russian president of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), has suspended his duties after the European Union sanctioned him over his role in supporting Russian actions undermining Ukraine’s territorial integrity. Dvorkovich announced that he would stop exercising his powers as FIDE president for as long as he remains subject to EU and Swiss sanctions, arguing that the restrictions could interfere with the federation’s operations.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. He described the EU decision as “unlawful and unfair” and indicated that he intends to challenge the sanctions. FIDE’s council accepted his decision and confirmed that Deputy President Viswanathan Anand – the Indian grandmaster and former world champion – will serve as interim president while the restrictions remain in effect. EU cites occupied Ukrainian territories Dvorkovich was added to the EU sanctions list as part of the bloc’s 21st package of measures imposed over Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The package targets dozens of individuals and scores of entities and includes measures such as asset freezes and travel restrictions. In explaining Dvorkovich’s designation, the EU pointed to both his former senior positions in the Russian government and his activities in the chess world. The EU noted that Dvorkovich served as an aide to former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and later as Russia’s deputy prime minister before becoming FIDE president in 2018.