The Ukrainian Esports Federation has banned two players for competing on Russia's Team Spirit ©Team Spirit

The Ukrainian Esports Federation (UESF) has banned two players for competing alongside Russians in the formerly Moscow-based Team Spirit.

UESF official Maxim Rymer confirmed on social media the blacklisting of Ilya Mulyarchuk and Miroslav Kolpakov.

The pair play with Russia's Yaroslav Naydenov, Magomed Khalilov and Denis Sigitov in Defense of the Ancients (DOTA) 2 competitions.

They recently won the title's tournament at the Riyadh Masters in the Saudi Arabian capital which had a total prize pool of $15 million (£12 million/€13.5 million).

The champions received $5 million (£4 million/€4.5 million) of that in what was the most popular DOTA 2 match of the year with approximately 488,000 viewers.

Ilya Mulyarchuk, right, and Miroslav Kolpakov, second left, have been blacklisted by the UESF ©Team Spirit
Ilya Mulyarchuk, right, and Miroslav Kolpakov, second left, have been blacklisted by the UESF ©Team Spirit

Team Spirit condemned the war when Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February last year and then moved its headquarters to Belgrade in Serbia.

"Everything is changing, and one of these changes has been the current situation between Russia and Ukraine, where many of our players and employees come from," a Team Spirit statement said at the time.

"Given all the circumstances, among which there are both practical and ethical, the decision to change the place of deployment seems to be the only correct one."

Rymer is not convinced that Team Spirit is completely against the war.

"Verbal support only," Rymer posted on Telegram.

"No public support of Ukraine financially or in any other way.

"The relocation of the office was organised to a country that is openly pro-Russian." 

Miroslav Kolpakov has defended playing alongside Russians and claims to know
Miroslav Kolpakov has defended playing alongside Russians and claims to know "what kind of people they are" ©Team Spirit

Team Spirit triumphed in The International 2021, a DOTA 2 tournament, which saw the winners awarded $18.2 million (£14.3 million/€16.5 million).

This led to Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulating them as they became the country's first champions.

Mulyarchuk's home in Bucha, in the Kyiv Oblast, was ransacked in April 2022 shortly after Ukrainian forces regained control of the city.

Kolpakov has defended playing alongside Russians as he claimed to know what side they support.

"How can [playing with the Russians] support the narrative that we are 'brotherly peoples'?" he said, as reported by esports commentator Olsior.

"I play at this club because I know who I'm playing with.

"I know their position, I know what kind of people they are.

"I see no point in myself weeding out people on a national basis."