Controversy arose today when Dota 2 player Ivan "Pure" Moskalenko of the Russian esports organization Virtus.pro drew a 'Z' symbol on the game's minimap during an official match. The incident occurred in Game 1 against Mind Games for the Dota Pro Circuit EEU 2021/2

022 Tour 2: Playoffs — the move considered offensive in the face of the ongoing conflict i

n Ukraine, with the 'Z' seen as pro-Russian war symbol.

Virtus.pro was quick to apologize for the incident and posted a video on their social media featuring Pure. "I'd like to comment on the incident that occurred during game 1 vs Mind Games," Pure states in the translated video. "There was a long pause in the game the guys and I were talking and drawing on the minimap. When we realized what exactly my drawing turned out to be, we tried to cover it up. I didn't mean to offend anyone, it all happened by accident. Peace to all."

However, despite his claims, many online were quick to point out that the manner in which he drew the 'Z' — drawing the bottom part of the symbol too short before correcting it — hint at the move being intentional. Many public figures in the Dota 2 scene have lambasted Pure's behavior, and have claimed that it should lead to a permanent ban for him in competition.  David "GoDz" Parker — a commentator and co-founder of Beyond The Summit (the organizer of the event Virtus.pro were competing in) — took to Twitter to announce that BTS were looking into the incident and discussing with Valve how to proceed. 

As of the posting of this article, there has been no official response from Valve regarding their response to this situation.