Clubs from Russia banned from participating in Rainbow Six tournaments [Updated]

The Russian esports organization Team Empire issued an official statement announcing that clubs from Russia were banned from participating in Rainbow Six tournaments. At the same time, players will be able to compete in championships under a neural status.

We have two news at once. Let's start with a good one - the first stage of the EU League starts on March 28, and our guys will take part in it. So you'll be able to follow the updated roster led by RayzerGM in less than two weeks!

Now for the bad. Alas, following the biographies of Russian operatives, Ubisoft decided to block all teams from Russia in Rainbow Six: Siege. This ban affected us first of all - the roster will perform without the Russian flag and without the Team Empire name you are used to. The five, led by Scyther, will debut under the name PWNZ. Fortunately, the tournament regulations do not prohibit coverage of matches of any teams, so we plan to highlight all the interesting moments related to PWNZ.

However, we are sad to see that the blockage has affected the Empire, an international organization with 18 years of history. Our key principle has always been that race, nationality, gender or religion does not play any role in signing new players or hiring employees.

Team Empire has always been home to people from Russia, Ukraine, South Korea, Sweden, Estonia, Poland, Germany, USA and other countries. We hope that one day this principle will be accepted by all other participants in the global world of eSports.

However, we are looking forward to the tournament, as well as the lifting of bans in Rainbow Six. Take care of yourself, friends, all the peaceful sky above your head!

Ubisoft's official comments followed. The company confirmed that Russian teams will be able to take part in Rainbow Six tournaments under a neutral status, and also announced the suspension of the Russian Major League.

In light of the ongoing tragedy in Ukraine, all official competitions in Russia, such as the Russian Major League in Rainbow Six Siege, have been suspended. Russian players will still be able to compete in our regional and international competitions if they wish, but they will be required to fly under a neutral flag and have agreed to do so.

Recall that earlier there were rumors that the players of the Russian eSports organizations Team Empire and Virtus.pro will continue playing in Rainbow Six under a neutral status. The teams must compete in the European League 2022 championship, which will begin on March 28.