Ukrainian esports player Vladyslav "Kvem" Korol publicly accused the esports organization Passion UA of a massive failure to fulfill its financial obligations during a stream with Leniniw. According to the player, the club has not paid him the $60,000–$70,000 that constitutes his share from the sale of signature stickers following the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025.
According to the HLTV portal, Passion UA's total revenue from the sale of team digital items after advancing to Stage 3 at the Budapest Major amounted to approximately $618,000. The players began inquiring about their payouts back in January 2026, as the second half of the individual sticker payouts had already arrived by that time, but the team's share remained unpaid. The club's CEO, Latvian Artēmijs Rjabovs, blamed the delays on the process of opening a new bank account in Dubai and an alleged lack of transfers from Valve.
In addition to debts owed to its own players, the organization is facing serious issues on an international level. Kvem confirmed that Passion UA's management has still not paid for the contract buyouts of their foreign imports: AWPer Santino "try" Rigal (transferred from Imperial) and rifler Azbayar "Senzu" Munkhbold (from The MongolZ). The player also claims that the CEO used the funds earned at the Major to construct a training bootcamp in Latvia, after which he illegally transferred its ownership to third parties within his inner circle.
The non-payment issue has affected numerous former employees and players. During the Esports World Cup in Paris, Kvem met with his former teammates, where they seriously discussed the possibility of hiring a lawyer to collectively resolve the situation through legal channels.
Meanwhile, the club's founder, Ukrainian footballer Oleksandr Zinchenko, has distanced himself from the scandal. Back in June 2026, he officially withdrew his ownership documents and stepped down from Passion UA's management, explaining that he had primarily served as a media partner and sponsor throughout the organization's existence.
The organization is currently in the process of shutting down, with total debts to players and staff reaching hundreds of thousands of dollars. The sole legal owner of Passion UA remains Artēmijs Rjabovs, who has completely vanished from the public eye and is ignoring all media inquiries, including those from HLTV journalists. Meanwhile, Vladyslav "Kvem" Korol has permanently left the club and has already joined Eternal Fire as a free agent.
As a reminder, Nemiga Stun Vitality, FURIA Defeat MOUZ: Semifinal Results and Final Day Schedule at PGL Masters Bucharest 2026