Virtus.pro has officially completed its massive Counter-Strike 2 roster overhaul, promoting academy standouts Alexander “AquaRS” Kovalev and Dias “F0R3VER” Kutubay to the main squad. The move caps off a sweeping rebuild aimed at rescuing the storied Russian organization from a devastating competitive slump.
The promotions follow a dramatic triple benching of core veterans Ilya “Perfecto” Zalutskiy, Evgenii “FL1T” Lebedev, and Petr “fame” Bolyshev. The shakeup comes after a historically poor run of form that saw the main squad plummet to 100th in the global Valve Regional Standings (VRS).
The post-Jame era struggles
The roots of Virtus.pro’s decline trace back to the departure of their iconic in-game leader, Dzhami “Jame” Ali, in December 2024. While Jame has since found significant success leading PARIVISION, Virtus.pro has been caught in a steady downward spiral, struggling to find an identity and consistent results without their tactical mastermind.
To right the ship, the organization is pivoting to youth, leaning heavily on the success of their academy team, VP.Prodigy.
Building around prodigy and a veteran captain
During the main roster’s decline, VP.Prodigy players Vladimir “b1st” Krasikov and Vadim “tO0RO” Arkov quietly built a strong foundation, racking up points in regional tournaments like IZI WEX Season 1 and MPKBK CIS LAN Season 3. Their efforts pushed the academy squad to 77th in the global VRS, surpassing the main roster.
Now, Virtus.pro is elevating that core to the grand stage. AquaRS and F0R3VER will join b1st and tO0RO, with the newly returned veteran Nikolay “mir” Bityukov taking the reins as the in-game leader.
The organization expressed confidence in the new dynamic in a recent statement to HLTV.
The decision to promote the players to the main roster was made following recent tournaments. Dias and Alex showed strong performances as part of VP.Prodigy, demonstrating solid teamwork and individual skill. The club believes that working alongside an experienced captain will help the young players adapt to the main roster environment and fully unlock their potential.
Looking ahead
To forge this mix of unproven rookies and veteran leadership into a cohesive unit, Virtus.pro will undergo an extended bootcamp in Serbia stretching until the end of April under the guidance of coach Dmitriy “ProbLeM” Martinov.
Here is the finalized Virtus.pro CS2 lineup:
- Nikolay “mir” Bityukov (IGL)
- Vladimir “b1st” Krasikov
- Vadim “tO0RO” Arkov
- Alexander “AquaRS” Kovalev
- Dias “F0R3VER” Kutubay
- Dmitriy “ProbLeM” Martinov (Coach)
Inactive/Benched:
- Ilya “Perfecto” Zalutskiy
- Evgenii “FL1T” Lebedev
- Petr “fame” Bolyshev
