Zahar "Polbandana" Siledchik, who is on a probationary period at IKLA UA, has been banned by the Ukrainian Esports Federation (UESF) from participating in its tournaments and will not be able to represent the national team at international competitions.

The information about the ban was confirmed by UESF Executive Director Anton Markelov to the Katsapske Inferno Telegram channel. The reason for the federation's decision was the fact that in January he quarreled with a viewer, calling himself "not a patriot", and also repeatedly played in mixed teams with Russians.

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The player himself recorded a message in which he apologized for his actions, stating that he had learned his lesson and would try to regain the trust of the community.

I would like to shed some light on the situation and apologize for some words and performances with the Russians. They are, of course, unacceptable. We are all human, we all make mistakes, but the main thing is to learn from them and move on. I am grateful to each and every one who defends our country and I understand that my actions could have had a negative impact on the community, so I also apologize for this. I admit that I should not have made radical statements against a specific person on my stream, but what is, is - I have learned from this, this person has already been banned on my Twitch channel. I will make efforts to regain your trust, because only together we can move forward. Thank you for your attention and Glory to Ukraine!

Zahar "Polbandana" Siledchik

Recall that two days earlier, IKLA UA advanced to the group stage of the Pinnacle Cup V. The tournament takes place from August 1 to 26 and has a prize fund of $50,000.