In qualifying for the official Dota2 tournament from Valve, known as The International, a player from the Russian team Virtus Pro drew the letter Z on the map, a symbol that supports aggression against Ukraine and which the civilized world already equates to the Nazi swastika.

“The International is a tournament with the prize of $40 million. To get there, teams from all over the world play qualifiers in their regions and play Major three times a year, in tournaments where you can earn credits for qualifying for The International. Such tournament is taking place right now, and there is such a team as Virtus Pro, it belongs to the holding ESForce, which is part of the VK Group.

Valve and the organizers imposed sanctions and did not allow players to play under the name Virtus Pro and attract sponsors. But the players in the second qualifying match showed their position. The match was broadcast all over the world and playing against Mind Games team, of 2 Belarusians and 2 Ukrainians, Virtus Pro player Ivan Moskalenko, who plays under the nickname Pure, drew the symbol Z on the map “- explains the famous Ukrainian e-sports commentator Vitaliy Volochai, v1lat.

Players can draw on a map in Dota2 to show each other a plan of action, such as where to go or what to do, this is not seen by rivals from the other team, but seen by spectators. Pure used this to show his position and the team’s position on the war in Ukraine.

This situation shows once again that the majority of Russians support Russia’s unprovoked aggression and the genocide of Ukrainians. Accordingly, they should not participate in international competitions. “We have already contacted the organization that is holding the tournament in the United States, and he and Valve are currently conducting an investigation,” said Vitaliy Volochai.