Russian Dota 2 Player’s Alleged In-Game Support of Ukraine Invasion, Team Disqualified

According to the news story of Yahoo, Ivan "Pure" Moskalenko of Virtus.pro and the rest of the team were disqualified from the Eastern European qualifier for the ESL One Stockholm Major after the player was caught drawing the letter Z. It was noted that Virtus.pro is playing under the name Outsiders.

What Does the 'Z' Stand For?

It was reported that the letter Z has been seen painted on Russian tanks and other military vehicles before and during Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which was ordered by President Vladimir Putin.

Because the Russian and Ukrainian military used similar tanks and vehicles, it was thought that the letter Z, among other things, may be used to identify between Russian units.

Regardless of its true meaning, the letter Z has now become a sign of support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine, both within and beyond Russia's borders.

Russian Player Drew 'Z' During a Game and Later Asserted It Happened by 'Accident'

According to Yahoo, the incident happened during Outsiders' upper bracket semifinals match against Mind Games, a team that contains two Ukrainian players.

Pure, which is represented by the color pink, employed a Dota 2 function that allowed players to draw the letter Z on the minimap during a pause in the game.

Pure's colleagues scrawled over the letter in an apparent attempt to cover it up shortly after he finished his drawing.

As per Kotaku, Pure and Virtus.pro issued an explanation and apology, which boiled down to Pure asserting the symbol "happened by accident." Pure said: "There was a long pause in the game, the guys and I were talking and drawing on the minimap. When we realized what exactly my drawing turned out to be, we tried to cover it up. I didn't mean to offend anyone, it all happened by accident. Peace to all."

Pure and His Team Got Disqualified From the Competition

The organizers of the qualifier later disqualified Pure and Outsiders from the tournament.

Because of this, Mind Games was given a forfeit win after losing the match where the incident occurred. All subsequent matches that the Virtus.pro roster was scheduled to play were also canceled.

As a result, Mind Games has advanced to the upper bracket finals of the event. Due to the forfeit, Team Spirit, who would have been the Virtus.pro roster's lower bracket opponents, has also advanced to the semifinals.

How Does the Ukraine Invasion Affected the Eastern European Esports Scene

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has shocked the Eastern European esports community.

According to Yahoo, Ukraine's esports organizations were eager to cut connections with their Russian counterparts following the invasion.

Meanwhile, the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) Spring Tour regional league for Eastern Europe was postponed shortly after the invasion began. Due to the ongoing issue, Dota 2 creator Valve Software later stated that competition in the region will have to be postponed "for the foreseeable future."