An Urgent Appeal to All Draughts Federations (and also to any other sensitive persons!) Daminator reports that world champion Yuriy Anikeev is serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. We suggest you read the article from this site.

Українською з перекладом статті можна ознайомитися тут.

Friends, Four years have passed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Tanks rolled into a sovereign nation. The systematic destruction began – not just of military targets, but of theaters, nurseries, residential blocks, and hospitals. Europe hasn’t witnessed such atrocities since the era of Nazi Germany.

In February 2022, the world rushed to help. But as the years grind on, as the death toll rises and Russian aggression intensifies, the so-called «Free World» seems to be growing accustomed to the horror. Some have even begun to «understand» (!!!) «poor Russia,» lamenting the absence of the Russian flag at the Olympics.

Immediately after the outbreak of war, the FMJD Board did not wait for the IOC’s lead. We suspended Russia and Belarus, barring them from our tournaments. We were consistent. The only platform for discussion regarding Russian players was reserved for those who do not support the war – directly or indirectly – those who fled the regime or actively opposed it. For them, solutions could be sought.

However, players from those regions organized independently, holding their own tournaments. At first, they were modest; later, they completely ignored IOC mandates. Those mandates were clear: no official World Championships in Russia, no Russian flags, and no Russian anthem. When Russian players began organizing exactly those types of forbidden events, the FMJD Board reacted. We warned them: play where you want, but if you play where IOC rules are desecrated, you will be excluded. Despite this, a large group of players chose that path. After repeated warnings, they were suspended for one year.

Then came the 2025 elections. Jacek Pawlicki was replaced by Janek Maggi. I remember his previous presidency well. He evidently LOVES modern Russia and does everything in his power to cater to it.

2017

The newly elected FMJD President travels to St. Petersburg for the closing of the IDF World Championships – a federation that not only works against the FMJD but refuses to honor CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport) rulings regarding Yuri Anikeev. Mr. Maggi didn’t mind.

Yuri Anikeev

2021

Ignoring WADA decisions, the FMJD Board under Maggi informed organizers in Warsaw that the Russian flag could be displayed during the match. We all know the disgraceful consequences of that decision.

2025

Maggi is re-elected. One of the first moves of the new Board? Shortening the suspensions imposed on those who defied the IOC and FMJD by competing in Russia.

2026

The next step… a cozy dinner in Morocco with Yuri Chertok and Tamara Tansykkuzhina. Joining Maggi at the feast (one wonders if Bashkir honey was on the menu?) were his mentor Harry Otten, FMJD Secretary Johan van Dijk, and EDC President Carlo Bordini.

We all know who Tansykkuzhina is outside the world of draughts. She is the FACE of this war in Bashkortostan. To quote her own public words:

«Our boys go there to defend our future and our values. We are proud of them; they are our true heroes!»

This is the «partner» for talks aimed at reopening the doors for Russians to FMJD competitions! Are you comfortable with the prospect of Tansykkuzhina’s daughter playing in the World Youth Championships, likely accompanied by her mother? Meanwhile, Ukrainian children – if they can attend at all – arrive from foreign lands of refuge.

Perhaps Maggi, Otten, van Dijk, and Bordini want to see Russians at the European Championships? If so, they won’t be seeing the 2023 World Champion, Yuri Anikeev. He has just been drafted into the army. He will be on the front lines, firing at those Tansykkuzhina calls «heroes» – who are, in reality, nothing more than aggressors and common thugs in Putin’s army.

The husband of [Olena] Korotka is also fighting them. While she was winning a medal at the 2023 World Championships, her husband was tracking her results on a mobile phone from a trench on the front line.

It is difficult to restrain my emotions, but the purpose of this letter is to awaken your conscience and your imagination. This is happening! Children are dying at the hands of the Russians whom Tansykkuzhina welcomes home with flowers and hails as heroes. The blood of these victims is real, not virtual.

We must act, and we must act now! Indifference is complicity. I believe – and I demand – that federations must write to the EDC and FMJD immediately, stating clearly that they will not accept Russian participation in official tournaments. If it comes to that, we must BOYCOTT these events. The leaders of our international organizations are sitting at the table with the apparatchiks of Putin’s party.

Write. Write now. Before it is too late. Write official letters, write individual protests.

Jacek Pawlicki

Founder of EDC
FMJD vice President 1998-2007
FMJD Technical Committee Member 2000-2015
FMJD Rating Officer 2002 – 2025
FMJD Tournament Director 2009-2020
FMJD President 2021-2025