Russian esports team booted from Dota 2 qualifier after player draws Z on the minimap

pcgamer.com:

Russian Dota 2 player Ivan «Pure» Moskalenko and the rest of the Virtus.pro roster have been disqualified from a qualifying tournament for the upcoming ESL One Stockholm Major after Moskalenko appeared to express support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine by drawing a large letter Z on the in-game map.

A Yahoo report says the incident took place during a pause in a semi-final match between Virtus.pro, which played as «Outsiders» in order to evade an ESL ban on Russian-based esports teams, and Mind Games. The Z was clearly visible on the map but only for a couple of seconds—Moskalenko's teammates, perhaps anticipating trouble, quickly scribbled over it.

Когда пытаешься весь интернет наебать что вышло случайно. Жаль ты тварь намеренно все дорисовывал. pic.twitter.com/JPpfqiS1GDApril 29, 2022

The letter is significant because of its use by Russian forces invading Ukraine. Z doesn't exist in the Russian alphabet so what it actually means in that context isn't clear: Some have theorized that it stands for «zapad,» an Anglicized version of «запад»—meaning «west»—or it could be just makeshift insignia aimed at helping poorly-trained soldiers differentiate between Russian and Ukrainian units.

Whatever its initial purpose, Z has since been adopted by civilians in Russia and other countries as a symbol expressing support for the invasion of Ukraine. Russian gymnast Ivan Kuliak, for instance, recently taped a Z to his uniform during a medal ceremony at a World Cup event in March; he faces the possible loss of his bronze medal and a one-year suspension from competition for his actions.

Kuliak stood by his World Cup actions, telling RT (via The Guardian) that he was expressing his position. Moskalenko, however, denied any political