Who was Ostap “0ni” Onistrat? Tributes pour in for CS:GO pro who was killed during the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war

The esports community has been devastated by more tragic news, as Ostap "0ni" Onistrat has lost his life during the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The Ukrainian, who was a Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) player, was just 21 at the time of his death. His last recorded tournament was in the ZUEL Championship 2021, where he represented LIBERTATEM (a Ukrainian esports team) and finished second.

According to reports, the 68th brigade of the Ukrainian ground forces, the unit to which Onistrat was deployed, officially announced the tragic news of his untimely passing.

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Ostap "0ni" Onistrat's untimely passing elicits a multitude of emotional reactions

It can be distressing for the gaming community to hear about the tragic loss of young, talented players. The impact is particularly heart-wrenching when their lives are cut short due to the ravages of war.

Onistrat fell on the front line in Vuhledar, located in the Donetsk region, where intense fighting has persisted for seven months. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi recently visited the region, underscoring the ongoing gravity of the situation.

Nonetheless, Onistrat's passing sparked an overwhelming outpouring of emotions. Sergei "LMBT" Bezhanov, a Ukrainian-based CS:GO coach, described him as a national hero and as someone who died defending his country. He tweeted:

Arseniy "ceh9" Trynozhenko, another prominent figure within the Ukrainian CS:GO community, took to Twitter to express his resentment towards the ongoing Russian invasion. He posted (caption translated from Ukrainian):

"Russia s*cks"

Here are some of the other notable tweets:

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Has CS:GO given any sanctions to Russian players?

Amid the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia, several game developers and platforms have taken a firm stance by implementing embargoes on Russian players. Additionally, in certain games or websites, the display of the Russian flag has been declined.

As of today, Valve Corporation, the video game company behind popular titles such as CS: GO, Half-Life, and Dota 2, has not implemented any sanctions or restrictions on Russian players, who continue to have access to these games without any specific limitations from the company.

However, in 2022, BLAST Premier, a CS: GO esports series, made an announcement stating that they would not extend invitations to Russian players for their events. They tweeted:

"Gaming and esports unites people from all races, countries and beliefs. We hope the situation on the world stage reflects this as soon as possible.”

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Tragically, Onistrat's passing was not the sole loss experienced by the esports community this month. Karel "Twisten" Ašenbrener, a Valorant player for Team Vitality, reportedly took his own life after battling depression, adding to the profound sadness within the community. To read more about the story, click here.