Russian esports team booted from Dota 2 qualifier after player draws Z on the minimap

Russian Dota 2 player Ivan "Pure" Moskalenko and the rest of the Virtus.pro roster have been disqualified from a qualifying tournament for the upcoming ESL One Stockholm Major after Moskalenko appeared to express support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine by drawing a large letter Z on the in-game map.

A Yahoo report says the incident took place during a pause in a semi-final match between Virtus.pro, which played as "Outsiders" in order to evade an ESL ban on Russian-based esports teams, and Mind Games. The Z was clearly visible on the map but only for a couple of seconds—Moskalenko's teammates, perhaps anticipating trouble, quickly scribbled over it.