A public dispute has erupted between Natus Vincere and Passion UA leadership following the latter’s signing of Mongolian star Azbayar “Senzu” Munkhbold. The conflict centers on claims that the organizations were locked in a bidding war, a narrative NAVI has vehemently rejected.
The back and forth comes just as NAVI coach Andrey “B1ad3” Gorodenskiy revealed why the organization ultimately decided against making any roster changes for the 2026 season.
“That’s a lie”
The controversy began when Passion UA CEO Artemijs Rjabovs discussed his organization’s acquisition of Senzu in an interview with caster Konstantin “leniniw” Sivko. Rjabovs implied that NAVI was an active competitor for the player’s signature.
“There were rumors about NAVI and the money they were willing to spend, and we agreed with The MongolZ on a slightly higher sum than what NAVI was offering,” Rjabovs stated.
HLTV initially published the story with the headline “We agreed with The MongolZ on a slightly higher sum than what NAVI were offering,” positioning the transfer as a financial victory for the Ukrainian club over the Major champions.
NAVI’s Head of Esports, Amiran “aMi” Rehviashvili, immediately shut down the claim on X (formerly Twitter). Quoting the article, aMi was blunt in his denial.
“That’s a lie, we didn’t offer anything,” he wrote.
Following the denial, HLTV updated the article to reflect the disputed nature of the comments. The headline was edited to “There were rumors about what NAVI were willing to spend, and we agreed with MongolZ on a slightly higher sum,” clarifying that the CEO’s statement was based on hearsay rather than a confirmed counteroffer.
Why NAVI didn’t buy
The denial from NAVI leadership aligns with comments made by head coach B1ad3 regarding the team’s off season strategy. Speaking to HLTV at PGL Cluj-Napoca, B1ad3 explained that while the team did their due diligence by exploring the market, they ultimately chose to trust their existing five-man lineup.
“It doesn’t mean we will take them, it’s a strategy for the organization for a long time,” B1ad3 said regarding rumors of NAVI speaking to players. “Just exploring opportunities.”
According to the coach, the team’s run to the semi-finals at the StarLadder Major Budapest convinced management that the current roster had not yet hit its ceiling.
“We believed that this season we would have a lot of potential to be a trophy contender,” B1ad3 said. “After the Major, we understood we are at the top of our arch of development, we can build something from this.”
