UESF bans Ukrainian CS2 stars for teaming with Russians

The Ukrainian Esports Federation issued 12-month suspensions to several Ukrainian players, banning them from UESF-organised competitions until June 30, 2027 for competing on teams with Russian players.

The federation approved an updated Disciplinary Liability Policy in Esports on June 8, 2026 and published the policy and a restricted-player list between June 25 and June 27. The framework sets out how the UESF identifies violations, applies sanctions and maintains a public restricted list covering players, coaches, managers, referees, tournament organisers and other participants in events the UESF organises, supports or sanctions.

The restricted list states that Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev received a 12-month suspension after playing on a roster with Russian player Denis “electroNic” Sharipov while representing BC.Game. Myroslav “zont1x” Plakhotia was suspended after joining Team Spirit, whose roster includes Russian players. Danylo “s1zzi” Vinnyk was listed for prior involvement with Spirit Academy or related team associations. Bogdan “bodyaN” Goncharov was cited for competing with Russian teammates and for separate allegations including match-fixing and cheating. Danyyl “Sdaim” Tupov was noted for anti-Ukrainian statements. The federation said many of the new restrictions run through June 30, 2027 and that sanctions can be renewed or extended for repeat breaches.

The sanctions apply only to competitions where the federation or its members act as organisers, partners or supporters. Restricted players lose access to UESF support services and are ineligible to represent Ukraine in national team events under the federation’s authority. The UESF noted the bans do not prevent participation in major international tournaments organised by third parties and do not change existing contracts with organisations such as BC.Game or Team Spirit.

On X, s1mple posted: “Double standards for other players. The people who made this decision understand nothing about esport and have done nothing for it, so their opinion is worthless.”

The updated policy classifies knowingly competing on the same team as representatives of Russia as an ethical violation and clarifies that facing Russian players in matches where such pairings are unavoidable is not treated as a breach. The framework covers a broad set of esports participants involved in UESF-linked events.