Cover-Credits:
The Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine, Mykhailo Fedorov, has called on game development companies and esports platforms to temporarily block Russian accounts and cease the participation of Russian teams and players in esports events. In a statement on behalf of the Ministry of Digital Transformation in Ukraine, Fedorov pointed to ongoing Russian aggression against Ukraine and the damage it has caused, saying that such a move by esports and game development companies would lead the Russian citizens to “proactively stop the disgraceful military aggression.” In the past few days, a number of esports organizations have already imposed sanctions against Russian teams and players.
Ukraine's vice prime minister calls on the esports and gaming organizations to block Russian teams and players
In an appeal to game development and esports companies, Fedorov cited the Russian invasion of Ukraine as a grave problem for his country. “The Russian Federation has carried out a deceptive and outrageous military attack on my country! Just imagine, in 2022, cruise missiles attack residential neighborhoods, kindergartens, and hospitals in the heart of Europe,” he said.
Adding that Ukrainians were fighting Russia and other nations were attempting to repel the aggression with sanctions, Fedorov asked for help from esports and gaming communities. “I appeal to temporarily block all Russian and Belarusian accounts, temporarily stop the participation of Russian and Belarusian teams and gamers in all international esports events and cancel all international events holding on the territory of Russia and Belarus,” he wrote in the statement.
In the tweet that contained this statement, Federvoc tagged two of the biggest gaming companies, Xbox and Playstation.
There have been a number of esports teams, players, and organizations that have expressed solidarity with Ukraine since the invasion began on 24th Feb. Players have started voicing their concerns on social media platforms and tournament stages, while teams and organizations have cut ties with Russian teams and organizations.
Ukrainian esports organization NAVI cut all ties with Russian esports holding company ESforce Holding citing the company's public denial of the "horror" occurring in Ukraine. ESforce Holding owns Virtus.pro, cybersports.ru, RuHub, and Epic Esports Events. In addition, other prominent esports organizations, including Blast and Elisa Esports, have barred Russian teams from attending their events.
On the international stage, Russian football clubs and national teams have been banned from all competitions by FIFA and UEFA. Economic sanctions have also been levied on Russian entities and individuals by countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States, and more.
