The Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine have issued a joint statement regarding the hosting of a CS2 tournament at the sanctioned Russian institution “Alabuga Polytechnic.”
The ministries noted that Russian authorities are using esports as a tool of propaganda and as a means of recruiting young people into the military-industrial complex, as evidenced by the organization of this CS2 tournament.
“The event was organized as part of a large-scale campaign to promote an ‘educational center’ which, according to numerous investigations, involves students (including minors) in the production of Shahed-type attack drones. The tournament was streamed on Twitch with the participation of well-known streamers, and advertising integrations contained direct links to education and employment at these military facilities. In effect, under the guise of esports content, young people are being recruited into the production of weapons of terror.
The reaction of the Ukrainian esports community was immediate. Thanks to mass appeals and public pressure, results were achieved: Twitch blocked a number of accounts that streamed or promoted this tournament. We are grateful to the Twitch platform for its responsible stance and adherence to the sanctions regime.”
At the same time, the ministries drew attention to YouTube and Google, which have allowed large-scale advertising integrations for “Alabuga” without proper moderation or response.
A list of YouTube channels that promoted “Alabuga” has already been compiled. Anyone interested can visit them and submit complaints using the following text:
“This video is promoting and advertising ‘Alabuga Polytechnic’ (Alabuga Special Economic Zone), an entity currently under US, EU, and UK sanctions for its direct involvement in manufacturing military drones for the Russian Federation’s invasion of Ukraine. Advertising a sanctioned military-linked entity violates Terms of Service regarding illegal content and global compliance laws. Please investigate and remove this content to comply with international sanctions regulations.”
It is worth noting that Passion UA previously listed Oleksandr Zinchenko as a substitute for IEM Atlanta 2026.
