Russian pro player used skin with racist word in official match and got suspended — timeline of scandal
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  • 19:27, 23.01.2025

Russian pro player used skin with racist word in official match and got suspended — timeline of scandal

Vladislav “Krad” Kravchenko found himself at the center of a scandal after using a Desert Eagle with an offensive combination of stickers during an official match at ESL Challenger League Season 49: Europe against Monte. The incident caused a significant stir in the community. This article chronicles the event.

Background

The scandal began during one of the ESL Challenger League Season 49 matches against Monte when viewers noticed that Krad's Desert Eagle had a combination of stickers that formed an inverted offensive word towards African Americans — NIGGA. The player stated he did not notice this combination as he plays with his weapon model in his left hand.

from Reddit user, xdddkek
from Reddit user, xdddkek

Apologies from the Player

A few hours after the situation went viral online, the player apologized, noting that he hadn't paid sufficient attention to it.

Hey guys, I saw the post about the deagle, I want to say that I bought it less than a week ago and didn’t notice the word itself, as I play left-handed, which is mirrored. Have a good and productive day!
Krad

The club also apologized to the community, stating that the skin was purchased on 16.01, and the player didn't pay attention to it. 9Pandas also announced that they would strengthen the inspection of gaming zones and hold discussions with players to prevent similar cases in the future.

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Article

Did Krad lie?

Stream recordings showed otherwise: Krad, in one of his live streams, intentionally used the model with the right hand where the word was clearly visible. Moreover, he actively discussed this skin, laughing about it. On the stream, the player displayed the Desert Eagle, calling it beautiful and shiny. He emphasized that he would only play with the right-hand model for this weapon, despite using the left hand in other cases.

At one point, Krad noted that he wanted to say something but refrained, realizing he was on stream and could be blocked. Nevertheless, he felt the situation didn’t deserve punishment, although he added that playing right-handed with this Deagle was inconvenient.

He knows the meaning 100%. Those ugly smirks reveal the true face of this racist. It's strange that in 2025 people still have issues with other nations and ethnicities. The world is global, please respect each other.
Johnta

Community Reactions

The scandal sparked heated discussions. Many fans and professional players condemned Krad's behavior and expressed that a two-week ban was insufficient. Social media saw calls for harsher sanctions.

Maybe he’s just a teenager and doesn’t know ... maybe he's trying to join snav from boss? (a racist player from NA)
CANT_BEAT_PINWHEEL
The thing is, many gamers are not only racist bastards or, at best, just very insensitive but also simply unfunny. What’s funny about just saying the "n" word? I don’t say “Hitler” and laugh to myself.
Dimensional
Not saying this is exactly the case, but my friend bought an AK Black Laminate a few years ago and played with it before noticing that the previous owner renamed it to something really racist, lol. He felt like such a jerk when he realized it.
Treebawlz
After this, I could imagine Valve or major organizations stating that along with players using default CT/T agents, they must be mandatory (I think due to fair play issues? Given what strategies can be pulled with certain agents), skins might also be banned, and vanilla items become mandatory.
Maldarach
In my opinion, it should be a perma-ban, but at least it’s a step in the right direction.
ReaPer

Conclusion

The scandal around Krad became an example of how carelessness or deliberate behavior can lead to serious consequences in the esports community. Using a skin with an offensive combination of stickers drew criticism from both fans and professionals, despite the apologies by the player and his club. The two-week suspension from official matches in ESL tournaments was perceived by many as too lenient a punishment, which only fueled the debate around the situation.

Stream recordings, where Krad intentionally used the weapon with the right-hand model and discussed its appearance, cast doubt on the sincerity of his explanations and apologies. This underscores the importance of responsible behavior by players, especially in the media space, and shows that even seemingly minor actions can be perceived as deliberate provocation. To prevent such cases, clubs and leagues need to strengthen control, conduct explanatory discussions, and demonstrate an uncompromising stance towards discrimination of any form. Essentially, players themselves should manage such situations and fully bear responsibility for their actions.

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