Winstrike Team, the Russian org focused mainly on CSGO, received Sunday a "notice" by their former player Vlаdуslаv "bondik" Nеchуроrchuk that they have one month to "pay all obligations" or be taken to court. The Ukrainian player is the latest in a long line of professionals from that part of the world to allege the organization had failed to meet financial obligations, but this could represent a change in approach from pros if bondik is able to successfully sue.

The story comes on the back of allegations made in May by Aidyn "krizzen" Turlybekov that the same team owed him three months of salary, which led to other former employees weighing in with similar accusations. Peter "desertuk" Myagkov, a Belarussian Apex Legends pro, claimed he had been waiting over a year for payments owed to him by the org and had resigned himself to the fact he would remain unpaid forever.

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The org also just lost another CSGO roster, with Dmitry "hooch" Bogdanov releasing a TwitLonger on March 31st stating that the team and coach had decided to unilaterally terminate their contract with Winstrike following multiple contractual breaches. That team has since been picked up by Entropiq, a Czech org looking to grow, with mixed results to date.

Bondik left Winstrike in December of 2020 and returned to the pro scene after surgery by signing a deal with Onyx Legend, demonstrating a level of hunger older pros often seem to lack. We’ve seen time and again former top players refusing to play at a lower level after a slump, where bondik seems determined to work his way up again rather than accepting his time in CS:GO is gone.

Ironically, Winstrike made headlines a couple of years ago when former journalist and now-agent Jarek "Dekay" Lewis reported that the team had "saved’ players from Quantum Bellator Fire that were in a similar situation and chasing unpaid wages. Whether this is a problem exclusive to the CIS region is debatable, but it's clear there is less recourse for CSGO stars in that part of the world compared to what is desirable. Until (and if) Valve gets involved, players will have to rely on individuals like bondik, with the CSPPA yet to comment on this case. We have reached out to bondik, Winstrike, and the CSPPA for comment, and will update the article accordingly. At the time of writing, Winstrike has declined comment.