Reports suggest that former TI winners Illya "Yatoro" Mulyarchuk and Myroslav "Mira" Kolpakov are among the banned players from Ukrainian Esports Federation.
Esports and politics is a sensitive subject matter that is more often kept separated than not. But it isn't always the case, and when they mix the consequences can be dire.
On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine and esports players have since and continue to undergo multiple repercussions from it affecting not just their personal lives but their careers.
Within the last day or so, reports have surfaced that the Ukrainian Esports Federation (UESF) has issued bans against players who have competed or participated in the same lineup with players of Russian nationality after the start of a full-scale war in Ukraine.
Previous TI winners Illya "Yatoro" Mulyarchuk and Myroslav "Mira" Kolpakov are two cited in the list. Both continue to play on Team Spirit alongside Russian players.
In March 2022, Team Spirit moved its operations to Serbia. According to the official announcement, the organization has abandoned its plans to develop and expand in Moscow given the ongoing war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine a month prior.
“Given the circumstances, both practical and ethical, the decision to relocate seems like the only right one,“
According to information, those who receive a ban will not be able to get permission to travel abroad during martial law to participate in tournaments. They are also prohibited from representing Ukraine in competitions and participating in championships under the auspices of the Ukraine Esports Federation.
Meaning, they can not return home until the war ends if they have any hopes to leave again to compete.
Other players included are CS:GO players Igor "w0nderful" Zhdanov and Myroslav "zont1x" Plakhotja.
There are some uncertainties surrounding Aleksandr "s1mple" Kostyliev and Valeriy "b1t" Vakhovskiy. Apparently, A UESF manager posted that s1mple and b1t were banned, but immediately deleted the post. Both previously played on teams with Russian players. However, s1mple actively donates to the needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, is the biggest UA esports ambassador, has been extremely vocal, and has done charity events and streams.
So far there is no word if Roman "Resolut1on" Fomynok will be caught up in the ban. Reso has played with BetBoom team as a stand in both at Berlin Major and Bali Major.
