Russian-Ukrainian Team Wins Over $1M in Prize Money in eSports Tournament after Ukraine Bans

An eSports team comprised of Russian and Ukrainan players, based in Serbia, just won over $1 million at The International 2023, held in Seattle, a DOTA 2 tournament. 

Team Spirit in 2022 issued a statement against the war in Ukraine: 

There is nothing worse than war. There is nothing more precious than human lives.

Team Spirit is an international esports organization, represented historically by players from Russia, Ukraine and many other countries. Some of our players and employees are in Ukraine at this time. Many of us have families, relatives, loved ones and friends there. We are worried about their lives and safety.

We are against war and we are against violence. If thousands of years of human history taught us anything it’s that peace is the only thing worth holding on to. Be safe,

In August of 2023, the Ukrainian Esports Federation (UESF) blacklisted Illya Mulyarchuk (Yaotoro — widely seen as the best Dota2 player in the world) and Myroslav Kolpakov (Mira) saying that the two had made antiwar statements but that their antiwar stance was not convincing.