At a time when most parts of the world call for peace, on 24th February Russia invaded Ukraine which has led the gaming industry and the community as a whole to extend their support to Ukraine. Many Ukrainian game development studios and others have spoken about the current crisis by means of written messages citing the painful attack videos.

On Twitter, G2 Esports, Ninjas in Pyjamas, Astralis, and other organizations have changed their profile picture to blue and yellow, symbolic of the colors of the Ukrainian flag. Natus Vincere, which is based in Kyiv, Ukraine, said that “it is impossible that during this war we pretend that everything is okay. It is not. We are devastated.” Social media platforms have been flooded with heartfelt messages from players and organizations urging them to stop this barbaric attack. 

https://twitter.com/G2esports/status/1496802078278180866?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1496802078278180866%7Ctwgr%5Ehb_0_8%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fdotesports.com%2Fgeneral%2Fnews%2Fesports-organizations-show-support-for-ukraine

https://twitter.com/natusvincere/status/1496808817979535361?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1496808817979535361%7Ctwgr%5Ehb_0_8%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fdotesports.com%2Fgeneral%2Fnews%2Fesports-organizations-show-support-for-ukraine

Many esports studios from Ukraine and across the community are trying to ensure the safety of the players based in Ukraine, with Victor “Nazgul” Goossens, founder and Co-CEO of Team Liquid, stated that the org will “open our Netherlands apartments for him (a player who could not travel home due to the crisis) and any of our friends or colleagues in a similar situation.” 11 Bits studios have also issued statements condemning the war and have decided to donate all profits from This War of Mine to the Ukrainian Red Cross to support victims.

https://twitter.com/11bitstudios/status/1496904408344449027?cxt=HHwWhsCyoZyoicYpAAAA

https://twitter.com/LiquidNazgul/status/1496793123040550916?cxt=HHwWiICjkcja1sUpAAAA

https://twitter.com/valesports_emea/status/1496904039249989638?cxt=HHwWjMC-pd6SicYpAAAA

“We are aware of the situation, and we are working on it. We will return with more information soon,” ESL Poland said, who are hosting several Ukrainian players. Well-known personalities from the gaming world have also raised concerns about the current situation. The well-known CS: GO player Sasha “s1mple” Kostyliev, who is from Ukraine, is heartbroken as his country fell prey to Russia and expressed the same in a Twitter post.

With the escalating tensions between the two countries for the past months, Russian forces began their military operations in Ukraine after President Vladimir Putin declared war in a television address on Russian state TV. Missiles were fired at many cities in Ukraine and heavy troops were sent across cities including the capital city, Kyiv. Casualties have been reported since the onset of war, with numerous civilians fleeing their houses in fear of attack.