Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a wealth of esports organisations have begun to offer their support through social media awareness campaigns and providing safe havens for professional gamers to relocate to.
To show support towards the Ukrainian community, various esports organisations took to Twitter to change their logos to the blue and yellow of the Ukrainian flag, such as G2 Esports, Astralis, Fnatic, and the native Natus Vincere.
Natus Vincere, who is based out of Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, said: “It is impossible that during this war we pretend that everything is okay. It is not. We are devastated. Our main goal right now is to try to stay calm and take care of ourselves, our loved one, and those that need help”.
Russian-based Team Empire, the reigning Rainbow Six: Siege World Champions, also took to social media to condemn the violence. In a statement, they said: “During our long and decorated history our esports club was a place that united different people, players and fans alike, from different parts of the world. Our aim was to unite people and make esports a better place with no borders and the principle of free communication. Today we stand against the war, against this whole conflict, as we prefer to battle only in sports and esports virtual arenas”.
ESL Poland, who are currently housing Ukrainian players such as Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev during the IEM Katowice 2022 live event, have also told Polish journalists that the tournament will go ahead as planned, although they are working on a broader action plan to support those attending the events.
