Electronic & Perfecto no longer want to represent Russia on Liquipedia

It looks like Denis “electronic” Sharipov is following the lead of Ilya “Perfecto” Zalutskiy and has also opted out of representing Russia on Liquipedia.

Both players are members of the Ukrainian organization Natus Vincere, which has been campaigning for peace since the Russian invasion of Ukraine has begun along with pointing out what is happening in their country.

Although Perfecto and electronic are Russian players, they distance themselves from their country and its state representatives. Both have requested the Russian flag to be removed from their profiles on Liquipedia. Instead, they have been given a gray “non-representing” flag.

Could they have been pressured into taking this step?

After Perfecto’s flag has been changed, the community wondered what it was all about and if it meant he was leaving the team anytime soon. There has been also speculation about electroNic’s departure as a result of his performance, however, none of that has been confirmed. 

Who knows whether their decision was made from their own initiative or under pressure, but, either way, it’s definitely a statement. Maybe it’s just helpful for the identity of the team or for their own. 

NaVi need a plan for 2023

Things have been turbulent in the organization lately and star player Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev had already complained that his team hadn’t decided on the lineup yet. He’s allegedly fed up with the uncertainty and would appreciate more routine so that the roster can finally adjust to one another and train together.

Both at the BLAST Premier Fall Final 2022 and at the BLAST World Final, the team ended up in 5th – 6th place, which actually doesn’t meet the expectations, especially after their stellar 2021 season. But with the current political events, it’s no wonder that the organizers and the players are upset. Even if we would like to separate esports from politics, sometimes it just doesn’t work.

Apart from that, the team also struggled with finding a good replacement for Kirill “Boombl4” Mikhaylov, who left the team back in May. As a first option, NAVI tried using electroNic as IGL and Viktor “sdy” Orudzhev as a stand-in. After a few tournaments, the team also tried to let their Academy player Andrii “npl” Kukharskyi play some maps at the BLAST Premier World Final.

Unfortunately, this year wasn’t NAVI’s year, but the CS:GO community seems to be keeping its fingers crossed that the team will find its way back to its former glory soon!

Header: BLAST Premier | PGL