Sergey Karjakin Sanctioned By European Union
GM Sergey Karjakin, a former challenger for the world chess championship title, has been sanctioned by the European Union (EU) for his continued support of Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine.
The EU's new measures were announced on the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of its neighboring country on Monday, with a total of 48 individuals and 35 entities subject to restrictions, asset freezes, and travel bans.
"There is no doubt about who the aggressor is, who should pay and be held accountable for this war. Every sanction package deprives the Kremlin of funds to wage war," the EU's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said in a statement.
Among those added to the sanctions list is Karjakin, the once-celebrated World Rapid and Blitz Chess Champion and World Chess Championship Challenger, who would currently be ranked 13th in the world if he wasn't listed as inactive for not playing a FIDE-rated classical game in the last year.
The EU describes Karjakin as "a Senator of the Russian Federation Council, representing illegally annexed Crimea since 12 September 2024," and also, erroneously, as a "former chess Grandmaster." It notes he is "supporting and implementing actions or policies which undermine and threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence of Ukraine."
In 2022, Karjakin was issued a six-month ban by the International Chess Federation (FIDE)'s Ethics & Disciplinary Commission from taking part in FIDE-rated chess competitions due to his pro-war stance. The ban led to his exclusion from the 2022 FIDE Candidates Tournament, for which he had qualified.
Today, the grandmaster is under no restrictions by FIDE, but is considered persona non grata by many chess organizers due to his involvement with the Kremlin. He has also stated that he is not willing to accept competing under a neutral flag, a requirement by FIDE for Russian athletes.
Instead, his fierce support of Russian President Vladimir Putin has propelled his political career. In 2022, he was awarded the Russian Federation’s medal “For Merit to the Fatherland," and in September 2024 was elected as a Russian Senator representing annexed Crimea.
The EU sanctions highlight Karjakin’s role in actively supporting Russia’s war efforts, including his visits to occupied Ukrainian territories, his coordination of military aid for Russian forces, and his public statements backing the invasion.
This is Sergey Karjakin, a Russian chess grandmaster and 2015 Chess World Cup winner, enjoying the views of destroyed Avdiivka.
— UNITED24 Media (@United24media) March 1, 2024
Sports above politics, indeed. 🙄 pic.twitter.com/si6wcJht2a
Karjakin was quick to respond to the sanctions on his Telegram channel: "For such a serious 'crime' I should have my assets in the EU frozen (which, by the way, I don't have and never had) and a travel ban. Very sad. Sad that they didn't include me earlier. I am happy to work for the benefit of my country and its people!"
As pointed out by German chess blogger Conrad Schormann, the chess grandmaster is joined by Olympic gymnastics champion Nikita Nagornyy on the sanctions list. The EU stated that the 28-year-old gymnast, who was previously sanctioned by Canada and the U.S., aided in the mass deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia and serves as a propaganda figure for the Kremlin.
Tarjei J. Svensen is a Norwegian chess journalist who worked for some of the country's biggest media outlets and appeared on several national TV broadcasts. Between 2015 and 2019, he ran his chess website mattogpatt.no, covering chess news in Norwegian and partly in English.
In 2020, he was hired by Chess24 to cover chess news, eventually moving to Chess.com as a full-time chess journalist in 2023. He is also known for his extensive coverage of chess news on his X/Twitter account.
