Virtus.pro have announced another major roster change as they continue to rebuild their Counter-Strike 2 lineup. The Russian organization has officially benched AWPer Kaisar “ICY” Faiznurov after a ten-month spell on the team, promoting academy player Vladimir “b1st” Krasikov to the starting roster in his place.
Vladimir “b1st” Krasikov, AWPer of VP.Prodigy, has been promoted to Virtus.рro’s main CS2 roster
— Virtus.pro (@virtuspro) October 20, 2025
After impressing in VP.Prodigy, b1st becomes the next young talent to join the main lineup after tO0RO. The team is already training to ensure his smooth transition ahead of IEM… pic.twitter.com/tqZ9a2HYcF
According to Virtus.pro, they are “open to exploring different options for the player’s future.” ICY joined the team in December 2024 alongside Timur “FL4MUS” Marev during a major overhaul following the departures of long-time members Dzhami “Jame” Ali and David “n0rb3r7” Danielyan.
Kaisar “ICY” Faiznurov, who represented our club in CS2 as an AWPer, has been benched.
— Virtus.pro (@virtuspro) October 20, 2025
ICY has been representing the Bears since December 2024. We thank him for his work and professionalism. The club is open to exploring different options for the player’s future.
Further… pic.twitter.com/XvY1MgEtsw
ICY’s time with Virtus.pro yielded mixed results. The team’s best placement during his tenure came early on with a 5–6th finish at IEM Katowice 2025, but they struggled to maintain consistency afterward. The Kazakhstani sniper recorded an average rating of 1.02, and Virtus.pro recently missed out on qualifying for the StarLadder Budapest Major, adding to a disappointing season that also saw them forced to withdraw from ESL Pro League due to visa issues at the Swedish border.
The promotion of b1st was initially planned for the CS Asia Championships, though VRS roster regulations required Virtus.pro to field at least three players from their original invite lineup. With this change now finalized, b1st will make his full debut in the coming weeks.
Virtus.pro’s lineup now features:
- Evgenii “FL1T” Lebedev
- Petr “fame” Bolyshev
- Ilya “Perfecto” Zalutskiy
- Vadim “tO0RO” Arkov
- Vladimir “b1st” Krasikov
Swedes bench Svedjehed
Swedish organization Johnny Speeds also made a roster adjustment, benching Leo “Svedjehed” Svedjehed after seven months and trialing Liam “Licale” Leckremo as his replacement.
Johnny Speeds cited the change as a move to “try a different dynamic of roles” following a string of inconsistent results. The team’s top finish during Svedjehed’s stint came at the Birch Cup (5–8th), and they are currently ranked No. 56 in the VRS standings.
Their updated roster now includes:
- William “draken” Sundin
- Jonas “Lekr0” Olofsson
- Anton “Sapec” Palmgren
- Ludvig “HEAP” Alonso
- Liam “Licale” Leckremo (trial)
- André “BARBARR” Möller (coach)
