At the IEM Krakow 2026 Counter Strike 2 tournament, Ukrainian esports player Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev, widely regarded as one of the strongest players in the history of the game, warmly shook hands with his teammate, Russian Denis “electroNic” Sharipov, after their match against Legacy. This gesture sparked a wave of criticism on social media.
The situation gained additional controversy due to the visual context: s1mple played the match wearing a jersey with a Ukrainian flag patch, while electroNic’s jersey displayed the Russian tricolor.
Users found this visual contrast particularly provocative given the ongoing war, which led to accusations directed at the Ukrainian player of “inappropriate friendliness” and a lack of principled stance.
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