Dota 2: TI champs N0tail, Dendi host charity stream in support of Ukraine

Dota 2 legends and The International (TI) champions Johan "N0tail" Sundstein and Danil "Dendi" Ishutin have hosted charity streams in support of Ukraine amid the ongoing crisis in the country caused by the invasion of Russia.

N0tail and Dendi's streams were hosted on Tuesday (5 April), and were part of a 30-day charity marathon to support Ukrainians affected by the war by Organization.GG, which will forward 100 per cent of the donations received during the marathon to non-profit organizations.

N0tail and Dendi are among the 45 players in the history of Dota 2 to have won TI, the game's annual world championship tournament.

N0tail is also one of only five two-time champions, having led the 2018-2019 OG roster to historic back-to-back wins in TI8 and TI9. Aside from having his name carved into the Aegis of Champions twice, N0tail also boasts four Major championships under his belt.

N0tail notably took a break from competitive Dota 2 last November and is now focusing on creating content for OG and mentoring its new young squad.

Meanwhile, Dendi achieved legendary status and became the first player to be the face of Dota 2 when he won the first-ever iteration of TI back in 2011 with Natus Vincere (Na'Vi).

Aside from being one of the first five players to have his name carved in the Aegis of Champions, Dendi also achieved back-to-back second place TI finishes in TI2 and TI3.

Dendi spent over eight years of his Dota 2 career with Na'Vi, becoming inactive in the organisation in late 2018 before formally leaving a year later. After spending a couple of years bouncing between different teams, Dendi founded his own organisation, called B8, in January 2020.

Both Dendi and N0tail have been vocal of their opposition towards Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which began on 24 February with orders from Russian president Vladimir Putin and under the guise of a "special military operation".

Dendi, a Ukrainian himself who was born in the city of Lviv, said in a post on his personal Twitter account that he "went to sleep with a new [Dota 2 patch] and woke up with a war" on the day of the invasion.

"I can't believe what is happening right now. I am very very sad and worry for all the people around. Ukrainian people are peaceful and we don't want this war. Stay safe everybody," said Dendi.

Both Dendi and his organisation, B8, have notably been active in supporting relief and donation efforts for their fellow Ukrainians.

Meanwhile, N0tail lambasted Putin's decision to invade in post on his own Twitter account, calling the war a result of a "dude who got busted stealing wealth from his people and threatening to end it all because he couldn't have it his way".

"History looks to repeat itself [...] I'm happy about the lessons kindergarten taught me. Stay strong Ukraine, ove one another," said N0tail.

If you would like to help N0tail and Dendi support humanitarian efforts for Ukrainians affected by the war, you can donate to Organization.GG's campaign here.

The Dota 2 esports scene has been particularly hit hard by the war in Ukraine, with developer Valve Software postponing the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) in Eastern Europe "for the foreseeable future."

"As the terrible suffering caused by the war in Ukraine unfolds, we do not see a way that the Eastern European DPC league can happen as envisioned for the foreseeable future, and it was with much regret that we recently had to postpone the Spring Tour in one of the community's most vibrant and storied regions," said Valve.

"Dota is inextricably a global game. The very name of The International itself is testament to a shared celebration of sport that connects people of every nation into a singular community of passionate fans. Our goals with the tournament and the DPC as a whole have always been focused on showcasing the enormous power of this human connection that thrives on participation from all parts of Dota fandom."

Russian organisation and TI10 champions Team Spirit even decided to relocate from Russia to Serbia due to "practical and ethical" reasons.

Ukrainian esports organisations, such as Dendi's former team Na'Vi, have also severed ties with their Russian counterparts that have either supported or refused to condemn the invasion.

WePlay Esports also terminated its partnership agreements with companies from both Russia and Belarus, notably refusing to air the Russian-language broadcast of the GAMERS GALAXY: Dota 2 Invitational Series Dubai 2022 in favour of a Ukrainian broadcast.

The said tournament also kicked off last without Russian team Virtus.Pro.

If you'd like to learn more about how you can help Ukraine during this crisis, here is a list of international organizations you can donate to.