A controversial incident occurred during the second map of the European Pro League Season 34 series between Winter Bear and Ilbirs eSports.
Russian player Ivan "4IVAN" Moshkovskii, playing Alchemist, disconnected multiple times by the 56th minute, when Winter Bear already had a significant advantage and had destroyed two lanes of barracks. After several pauses and reconnect attempts, the team decided at the 61st minute to continue the game 4v5 without waiting for him anymore.
At first, Winter Bear’s players successfully controlled 4IVAN’s hero themselves, using Alchemist to farm the jungle and defend their base. A few minutes later, the player reconnected — but instead of resuming play, he remained motionless at the fountain for the rest of the match.
Despite effectively playing without their carry, Winter Bear managed to break the third lane of barracks and eventually close out the game after nearly 92 minutes, securing a victory under extreme circumstances.
As of now, the organizers of European Pro League Season 34 have not issued any official statement regarding the situation.
Meanwhile, caster Maelstorm revealed on his Twitch stream that a member of Winter Bear contacted him and accused 4IVAN of deliberately throwing the match ("322").
One of Winter Bear’s players asked me to make a video about this match — Winter Bear versus Ilbirs eSports, specifically the second map. I was told that their carry was throwing the game.
Usually people argue whether someone was throwing or not, and where the proof is. But in this case, the answers are in the replay itself. Everything becomes very clear when you watch the game.
According to information shared by Ilbirs eSports player waveformn and relayed by Maelstorm, 4IVAN had previously shown suspicious behavior in recent matches. While there had been no concrete proof before, this game reportedly crossed the line.
Maelstorm also stated that even if there was no malicious intent, such behavior should still result in a competitive ban:
Even if there was no bad intention, what happened is still a violation serious enough to warrant disqualification. In Dota 2, disqualifications usually mean lifetime bans.
He added that teammates claimed 4IVAN had communication issues and was lagging throughout the game, but eventually stopped responding entirely.
It looked like he disconnected when he realized the match couldn’t be thrown, and when he saw that his hero was being controlled and the team was still winning, he had to come back and stand AFK.
Maelstorm also mentioned circulating screenshots suggesting that approximately $155,000 had been bet on Ilbirs eSports to win the map.
There is a screenshot going around showing nearly $155,000 placed on this game. As you can imagine, that money ended up lost — because Winter Bear still won.
The incident has sparked widespread discussion within the community, with fans and analysts debating whether the situation was the result of technical problems, psychological pressure, or a deliberate attempt to sabotage the match. At the same time, Winter Bear’s victory despite effectively losing their carry player has become one of the most unusual moments of EPL Season 34.
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