Ukranian-based Apex Pros Fear For Careers Amid Possible Russian Invasion

Waging war in the upper echelons of Apex Legends is all fun and games, but when the threat of enlisting in a real-life conflict stirs, it becomes no laughing matter, and that's a looming possibility for some of ALGS' better players.

Amid the possibility of an invasion into Ukraine from the Russian forces, two Apex Legends professionals have opened up about their fears, and considerations of relocating to Belarus or Turkey.

9impulse fears for Apex Legend career amid possible Ukrainian/Russian War

Belarusian-born Kirill “9impulse” Kostiv is a seasoned Apex Legends professional, previously competing under the banner of Natus Vincere (Na'Vi), where he proved his talents on the live stage.

In Apex Legends' last LAN before the coronavirus pandemic halted in-person events, 9impulse and his Na'Vi teammates came second in the $500,000 Preseason Invitational. Whereafter, he moved to Ukraine to boost online performances after suffering poor network speeds in his homeland of Belarus. 

However, his on-field performances have taken a hit in recent weeks, as he admitted the looming threat of war has taken a toll on his mental health. Taking to social media, the Gibraltar-Caustic main said: "Looks like I relocated from Belarus to Ukraine to become more afraid... Can this s**t just stop?"

Continuing the discord in an interview with Dot Esports, the 22-year-old said: "When I realized that [a war] really could start, and it’s really scary, I started feeling worse and worse, and my gameplay started getting worse and worse.

"At one moment I was thinking like, I don’t really give a f**k about playing, I need to survive somehow."

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So what if he just moved back to Belarus and cope with the poorer internet? Now that LAN events are back on the horizon, couldn't 9impulse simply do the minimum to qualify and show his worth again on stage? Not quite. 

"If I relocate to Belarus and the war starts, I’ll be called to the army," he explained in the Dot Esports interview, and elsewhere in Europe is off the cards as the Belarussian has no eligible visa.

Tensions between Russia and Ukraine have grown increasingly over the last week, as diplomacy reaches an impasse, the BBC report that 190,000 troops now surround Ukraine's shared borders with Belarus and Russia.

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