Ukrainian gamers blacklisted by the Federation of Esports for playing with Russians

The Ukrainian Esports Federation (UESF) has blacklisted five players for playing in the same team as Russians. This was announced by the organization’s representative Maxim Raymer on his Telegram channel.

The sanctions include Ilya Yatoro Mulyarchuk, Miroslav Mira Kolpakov (both Dota 2 players), Miroslav zont1x Plahotya (CS:GO), who represent the Russian organization Team Spirit, as well as Igor w0nderful Zhdanov and Zakhar Polbandana Siledchik.

As dev.ua notes, Miroslav Mira Kolpakov previously expressed his position on playing with Russians during the great war in October 2022:

«How can [гра з росіянами] support the narrative that we are 'brotherly nations'? I play in this club because I know who I’m playing with. I know their position, I know what kind of people they are. I don’t see any point in eliminating people on the basis of nationality,» Kolpakov said in October 2022.

It is noteworthy that Team Spirit moved its office from Moscow to Belgrade, the capital of long-time pro-Russian Serbia, after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian occupiers.

«Everything changes, and one of these changes is the current situation between Russia and Ukraine, where many of our players and employees come from. Taking into account all the circumstances, including both practical and ethical ones, the decision to change the location seems to be the only right one,» the team said in a rather vague statement.

The consequences of blacklisting these players are not specified. The UESF is likely to ban them from participating in tournaments in Ukraine and playing for the national team.