As the official National Team Partner of the Esports Nations Cup 2026, UESF continues to reveal Ukraine’s national team rosters. Today — two disciplines featuring the strongest Ukrainian top-tier players: Dota 2 and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang.
Dota 2
Ukraine’s Dota 2 national team is the only roster announced so far that has already secured its spot at ENC without qualifiers. Thanks to player ratings, the team received a direct invitation as the 14th of 16 countries in the world rankings.
The core of the national team is a trio from NAVI: pma, Niku, and gotthejuice, who went through the journey together from NAVI Junior to the main roster. They’re joined by QBFY and kreker from Team Lynx — a ready-made support duo with established chemistry.
Yurii “pma” Prots
Offlaner, joined NAVI Junior in August 2022 — and progressed with the team for nearly three years through DPC Division 2, CCT Series wins, and qualifiers for major tournaments.
On July 1, 2025, he moved up to NAVI’s main roster along with the rest of the squad. Since then, he’s played at The International 2025 (14th-15th place), Esports World Cup 2025 (9th-12th place), reached the final of BLAST Slam VI, and competes regularly at DreamLeague and PGL Wallachia. Reached 12,000 MMR in February 2024. Considered a flexible offlaner — capable of playing initiators as well as surprising opponents with unconventional picks.
Artem “Niku” Bachkur
Midlaner, signed with NAVI Junior in 2023 at age 14 — at the time ranked 118th on the European ladder. Quickly showed his class: 3rd place at European Pro League Season 14, a 3:1 win over MOUZ in Season 17.
At PGL Wallachia Season 4, he became the youngest Eastern European player ever to compete at a Tier 1 LAN — at 16 years, 2 months, and 13 days old. At The International 2025, he became the second-youngest player in the tournament’s history — 16 years and 210 days old (SumaiL’s record stands at 165 days).
He’s consistently broken MMR records: 12,000 in February 2024, 13,000 in June 2024, 14,000 in August 2024, 15,000 in February 2025, 16,000 in September 2025, 17,000 in January 2026 — each time the youngest among known players to reach the mark. Alongside gotthejuice, he’s considered one of the youngest and most promising cores in global Dota 2.
Taras “gotthejuice” Linnikov
Captain, started out in local Ukrainian stacks back in 2021. In August 2022, alongside pma, he joined NAVI Junior’s first roster. Reached 12,000 MMR in February 2024.
On July 1, 2025, he moved up to NAVI’s main roster. His biggest success — 2nd place at BLAST Slam VI in February 2026, where the team reached the final and earned $150,000. Also competed at The International 2025 and Esports World Cup 2025. Known for an aggressive carry playstyle — signature heroes include Morphling, Sven, and Faceless Void.
Vitalii “QBFY” Ivanov
Semi-support or midlaner, Team Lynx. Unique in that he can easily move between position 1 and position 2 depending on the team’s needs — giving the team an edge at the draft stage. On mid, he plays active playmakers like Puck, Void Spirit, and Storm Spirit. On carry — classic farmers with strong late-game potential like Morphling and Anti-Mage. Ranks among the top of the European ladder. Played for Monte, Palianytsia, and NAVI before joining Lynx alongside kreker in January 2026.
Kostiantyn “kreker” Dolomakin
Support, Team Lynx. The team’s “grey eminence” — responsible for the macro game, warding, and early lane aggression. Coordinates early rotations, mid-lane ganks, and protecting the carry. Together with QBFY, he forms a reliable backbone for Lynx and serves as a key “incubator” of talent for the Ukrainian scene — it’s through Lynx’s matches that young players make their way into academies and senior teams. Signature heroes — Rubick, Hoodwink, Clockwerk, Phoenix.
Substitutes: Akam, onLitaL
Volodymyr “Akamu” Zakrzhevskyi
Balu Team, support. One of the most experienced players on the Ukrainian semi-professional scene. Plays offlaner or support depending on the mix. Signature heroes — Centaur Warrunner, Brewmaster, Mars, Doom. Regularly competes under the Balu Team brand at local tournaments, charity events, and the UESF Ukrainian Championship.
Oleksii “onLiTaL” Lytovka
The brains of team Simply Lovely, where he serves as captain and main drafter. Has a deep understanding of the meta and tries to outplay opponents as early as the hero-pick stage. As a position 5 support — Disruptor, Oracle, Crystal Maiden, Bane. Focused on perfect positioning in fights and warding.
Coach: Andrii “Ghostik” Kadyk
“The main advantage isn’t just a collection of strong names — it’s existing chemistry within the roster. We have a core from NAVI that has played together long enough to understand each other’s tempo. Plus, QBFY and kreker also play together — so we’re not putting two completely random people into the roster. We have a connected core duo and a connected support duo.”
On adaptation, the coach is candid: “There can be issues, and it would be strange to say there definitely won’t be any. But there’s an important advantage here: they’re coming in pairs, not individually. If they already have mutual understanding between themselves, adapting to the core players should go faster. I don’t see a critical problem here. I see a manageable challenge.”
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
Ukraine’s MLBB national team brings together players from three different clubs, but its backbone is three players from Boars Gaming, who already play together at the club level. They’re joined by Sensei from Minerva Fury and makar0n from White Army — both with experience representing Ukraine’s national team at international tournaments.
Ihor “Sensei” Khimiak
21 years old. Midlaner, Minerva Fury. Playing since 2017 — since age 12. Has played for Tsvyach, Rekt Flava, uNext, and Team Falcons. Top-4 at MCC Season 2, 5th-8th place at IESF 2024, finalist at the M-World Championship qualifiers. “I’m expecting a good performance — we’re preparing very diligently. The team has high ambitions, so I hope to show my best.”
Serhii “Pelmetronio” Lysohor
19 years old. Gold laner, Boars Gaming. Playing for over 8 years, peak rank — 1032 stars Mythical Immortal. Has played for Boars Gaming, CR7, and Metashift. Multiple-time medalist at Surge Europe tournaments, competitor at UNBROKEN UA2. “I’m focused solely on confident, high-quality, synergistic play from the whole team. Our main goal is victory.”
Ruslan “boberRusik” Voronin
18 years old. EXP laner, Boars Gaming. On the scene since mid-2022. Has played for Minerva Fury, Metashift, and Boars Gaming. Winner of MEC Season 1, 2nd place at MEC Season 2. “I believe in my team and hope to show my best to fight for the top spots.”
Vladyslav “GODBELIEVER” Hrabchenko
Midlaner, Boars Gaming. 1st place at MEK Season 1, 2nd place at MEK Season 2. “I’m keeping my focus on winning and continuous improvement. Top placements aren’t a coincidence — they’re the result of systematic work.”
Ihor “makar0n” Makarenko
Jungler, White Army. Playing since 2018. 5th-8th place at IESF WEC 2024 with Ukraine’s national team. “My main expectation is to face the strongest opponents and test my abilities at the highest level.”
Substitutes: Pankrattt, RISE
Coach: Vitalii “FreeStyle” Belinskyi
Most of the national team’s players compete for Boars Gaming — an organization FreeStyle knows well. In preparing for ENC, he’s focused on game structure: early game, the transition to mid-game, and proper map division. Actively develops the MLBB community in Ukraine.
Qualifiers
To make it to Riyadh, the MLBB national team first needs to go through regional selection. The Dota 2 national team has already secured its spot at ENC through a direct invitation — the team ranked 12th in the world rankings and won’t play qualifiers.
Regional online qualifiers for MLBB — August 14-18.
Follow updates at uesf.org.ua and the national team’s official pages.
About the Ukrainian Esports Federation (UESF)
The Ukrainian Esports Federation (UESF) is the official national organization that develops and regulates esports in Ukraine. Under the leadership of President Maksym Krippa, the federation organizes national championships, represents Ukraine on the international stage, and builds an ecosystem where every player — from beginner to professional — has the opportunity to grow. UESF unites players, clubs, the community, and partners around a shared idea: esports is part of modern Ukrainian culture.
