Timur Turlov explained why he became a citizen of Kazakhstan in an ‘Ask Me Anything’ session on his X account. Turlov says he loves Kazakhstan and shares its values. Timur notes that the start of the Russian-Ukrainian war pushed him to become a citizen of Kazakhstan.

Timur Turlov

Timur Turlov

President of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation

“[Question: Why did you decide to become a citizen of Kazakhstan in 2022 and not some other year?]

I live in Kazakhstan since 2011. My father was born in Kazakhstan. I really love this country and share its values and do business there for a long period of time.

But in 2022 I realized that for me it’s definitely very important to be a Kazakhstan citizen. And I decided to renounce my Russian citizenship because I’m definitely not happy with the ongoing war. And I don’t like to share these values and be part of this politics.”

Timur Turlov is a Russian-born Kazakh entrepreneur and CEO of Freedom Holding Corp. Turlov has served as the president of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation since January 2023.

The FIDE President election 2026 will take place at the General Assembly in Samarkand, Uzbekistan from September 26 to 27. Timur Turlov, WR Chess CEO Wadim Rosenstein, and Freestyle Chess CEO Jan Henric Buettner were accepted by FIDE for participation in the election.

Credit: Mark Livshitz / FIDE