Fnatic Suspend BraveAF Following Comments On Russian Invasion Of Ukraine
Fnatic have suspended BraveAF from their VALORANT roster amid an investigation into comments made about the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
31st Mar 2022 12:32
Fnatic
Fnatic Suspend BraveAF Following Comments On Russian Invasion Of Ukraine
Fnatic have suspended BraveAF from their VALORANT roster amid an investigation into comments made about the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
31st Mar 2022 12:32
Fnatic
Ahead of the first VALORANT Champions Tour Masters of 2022, Fnatic has suspended their recently acquired initiator Andrey "BraveAF" Gorchakov from their roster, amid an internal investigation into comments made about the Russian invasion of Ukraine that surfaced on social media.
Fresh off the back of an EMEA Challengers runners-up finish, Fnatic have confirmed that they will be removing BraveAF from their current roster, as some eyebrow-raising screenshots have drawn attention on Twitter.
Fnatic Suspend BraveAF from VALORANT roster
BraveAF, a Russian-born VALORANT player, has been accused of supporting the Russian invasion of Ukraine yesterday, as screenshots of texts had been revealed. The screenshots contain messages of the 26-year-old saying, "the West has achieved the collapse of the USSR" and "now want the collapse of the CIS," before adding that this "isn't a full-scale war" and that it's "not about civilians."
The post immediately caught the eye of FunPlus Phoenix's Ukrainian player Kirill "ANGE1" Karasiow, who has been forced out of his home in Kyiv due to the bombings and shelling. ANGE1 took to Twitter to say, "Some Russians think we should give up as fast as possible, right BraveAF? Well this is your and yours government's biggest mistake."
With the screenshots circulating, Fnatic made the prompt decision to suspend him from "pro play at Fnatic, while we launch an investigation."
Fnatic do have a substitute player, who was signed earlier this month, meaning it's likely that we will see Tom "otom" Hart step into the roster for their trip to Iceland to compete in the Stage 1 Major.
BraveAF condemns Russian-Ukrainian War, Claiming Messages Were Pre-Invasion
Amid the circulation of the messages, BraveAF took to Twitter to attempt to clarify some miscommunication, claiming that the screenshots were from texts sent before February 24, the date the invasion from Russia began.
BraveAF said, "We had a little chat before 24th of feb and I wrote her in the morning of 24th feb to know if she’s alright."
"You can clearly see on those pictures that I want this to end asap and don’t want people to get hurt or killed… And by saying 'give up', I meant to put down this conflict so less people get hurt. I am for PEACE."
Fnatic will now launch an investigation into the messages, where they will likely determine his future on the roster. In-game, BraveAF has impressed since joining in January, posting a 1.43 KDA in EMEA Challengers 1.
About The Author
Jack Marsh
Jack is an Esports Journalist at GGRecon. Graduating from the University of Chester, with a BA Honours degree in Journalism, Jack is an avid esports enthusiast and specialises in Rocket League, Call of Duty, VALORANT, and trending gaming news.
