Russian esports player Nikolay "mir" Bityukov has officially left Virtus.pro, as announced by the organisation on their website and social media. The statement mentioned that the decision to part ways was mutual and satisfactory for both parties.
Bityukov played for Virtus.pro from July 2023 until April 2024, after which he was benched, and Denis "electroNic" Sharipov was brought in as his replacement. Since then, mir has been inactive and has not participated in the professional Counter-Strike 2 scene. There is currently no news regarding his plans.
Virtus.pro’s CEO, Nikolay Petrosyan, commented on the announcement:
"Our paths with mir diverge today. Nikolay has always been a reliable and hardworking player, putting the team’s interests first. He joined us when we were looking for the best ways to advance in one of our core disciplines, won several tournaments with us, and proved he could compete at a Tier 1 level. I’m grateful for his contribution to the team and wish him the best in his future endeavours."
A few days ago, Virtus.pro announced a roster change in their Counter-Strike 2 team, appointing Pavel "PASHANOJ" Legostaev as head coach, replacing Andrey "XomA" Mironenko, who has now joined Aurora.
Current Virtus.pro roster:
- Jami "Jame" Ali
- Evgeny "FL1T" Lebedev
- Petr "fame" Bolyshev
- David "n0rb3r7" Danielyan
- Denis "electroNic" Sharipov
Coach: Pavel "PASHANOJ" Legostaev