Sometimes we even forget to tell about new meetings where MOJAM participated in. For example, it happened with a cool autograph session of the eSports team MONTE on which we were invited by the representatives of the guys. Although it was a long time ago, we still want to share with you cool and bright moments of that day.

Vika, Employer Brand Manager, our permanent volunteer (you have probably heard about her already if you read the article about BLAST Paris Major 2023) and Danya, Content Manager, the main supplier of the best photos from all events, went to the meeting from MOJAM. Vika had an important and responsible mission: to get there, record audio and, of course, enjoy the company of the cyber party. Obviously, we won’t post the entire recording, but we’ll share the most interesting questions and answers.

Currently, MONTE team has 5 players – Ukrainians Volodymyr «Woro2k» Veletnyuk, Sergiy «DemQQ» Demchenko and Viktor «sdy» Orudzhev, Pole Simon «kRaSnaL» Mrozhek and Mohammad «Boros» Malkhas from Jordan. The team fully supports Ukraine, and the main languages of communication are Ukrainian and English. Even on BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023 a QR code was placed on the players ‘ uniforms, which could be used to send a donation to United24. The coach of the team Sergiy «lmbt» Bezhanov and the manager Aydin «KrizzeN» Turlibekov were also at this meeting.

• Question from the audience: I see real Ukrainians in you, LMBT and Krizzen. You are not afraid to speak on camera about what is happening in our country. At the same time, I think about other players, whose nicknames I will not mention, who play in russian organizations and suppress the situation. A question is specifically for Vladimir «Woro2k» Veletnyuk. Is it fear of losing your current audience? Is it a body’s defense mechanism in order not to think about it? Or is it a conscious attachment of yourself to the «russian world»? Your personal opinion, thanks.

Answer from Woro2k: Thank you! Can you hear me?

Everyone laughs.

Continuation of the answer from Woro2k: I don’t even know what they think about it and why they don’t talk about the war. But as far as I know, some players still tweet about it.

This is a very important topic, it needs to be talked about. We live in the same country, but sometimes we seem to be in different infospaces. This is a problem in esports.

Representative of the MONTE team

• He continues: There is a question from YouTube. Are you planning to create an academy?

Answer from Krizzen: I can answer. We will create the academy. I think this year. So we will check the players, there are a lot of talents in Ukraine now, so maybe we will gather them for the next season. 

• Another question from the audience from a media representative: Good afternoon. You beat NAVI in this tournament, I mean in Paris. Do you consider yourself the strongest Ukrainian CS:GO team now?

Answer from SDY: I believe that one game does not define this global question. NAVI have been participating in TIER-1 tournaments for a long time, winning them, and we are just starting our journey. So it is too early to compare, but we will do everything to become the best team in Ukraine one day.

• The next question from the audience from TRIBUNA.UA: I have a question for the coach. You missed MAJOR, it was sad for all the fans, but we all saw you on MainCast, we were glad to hear your analytics. Please share your emotions: your team is playing at the last CS:GO major, and you are here, in Ukraine, not with them, while the guys are fighting there.

Answer from coach Sergei «LMBT» Bezhanov: I thought about it once wondering what it would be like to watch your team play as a spectator. But I did not like this experience, to be honest. In general, you just worry more because there is nothing you can do. Yes, even when you are behind their backs (meaning that in live tournaments the coach supports the team during the game, standing nearby), you cannot always do something. We all understand that we have a war in our country, and nothing can be done about it.

• Question from the audience PLAYERS.COM.UA: Firstly, I will express the huge gratitude and support from all our subscribers. Everyone at every event is cheering for you, everyone is constantly worried. You are the coolest team, thank you so much for who you are and for what you do.

*Applause from the audience*

• Continues: And if it’s not a secret, do you already have an invite to Cologne (IEM Cologne 2023), and what are your plans for future tournaments? Is Viktor returning to the game? And what are your plans in general?

Krizzen: I can talk about an invitation to Cologne, and Vitya will tell you about himself. So, there is no information about Cologne yet, but I hope it will be soon. We are waiting for information from ESL, we will let you know as soon as we have it.

Victor «sdy» Orudzhev continues: As far as we know, the rating is being updated today and there should be invites one of these days. Well, that’s the first question. And as for the second one… yes, from the new season we are already returning with the whole team. I decided not to finish the last two tournaments because I had to solve personal family and health issues.

• Conference speaker: There is a provocative question from Youtube from a viewer. What does a victory over NAVI taste like?

Woro2K: Tasty, very tasty.

• Speaker: Question to Vitya «sdy». Did someone from NAVI congratulate you after reaching the playoffs? Are you friendly with anyone?

Victor «sdy»: Yes, Sasha «S1mple» congratulated me, Andriy «Npl», Valery «B1p» congratulated me too, so almost everyone. I don’t maintain friendly relations with anyone, I just sometimes exchange some news about the game and everything in general.

• The speaker laughs as he asks a new question from Youtube subscriber Vladislav: Vitya, why did you cut your hair? I grew my hair long on purpose to look like you.

Victor «sdy»: Vladislav, I cut my hair so you wouldn’t look like me.

• Question from the audience: I have a question for Krizzen. Firstly, I want to thank you again for the wonderful Ukrainian language. And I have two questions. First: how did you learn to speak Ukrainian so well? Is it just communication practice or did you watch, I don’t know, news, YouTube? The second question is more serious. You, as we know, are from Kazakhstan. From your point of view, what do people think in Kazakhstan about the war? Who do they support more? Ukraine or russia? Because it seems that people stand with Ukraine, but the authorities do not, Kazakhstan is still in the customs union.

Krizzen: Firstly, my wife is from Ukraine, we have been with her for four years, so when the war started, we immediately switched to Ukrainian dubbing of films, started watching the top model in Ukrainian. So 5 seasons of the top model, and everything was fixed. Second question. I have many friends in Kazakhstan now, and all of them, some less radically, some more radically, hate russia. And the government… it just sits on three chairs, and it’s hard for them. On the one hand, China, on the other, russia, and there is also the West.

• Question from the audience: DemQQ, what tastes better, Ukrainian borscht or a victory over NAVI?

DemQQ: A provocative question, but I will say that borscht.

Here we want to add from us that when the microphone was passed to the next guest from the audience, even we were shocked. It’s hard to contain emotions when not just fans come to the MONTE autograph session, but also those who defend Ukraine. Thanks to David «Chemist» Kasatkin for everything he does for us.

• Question from «Chemist»: Question to sdy. Do you remember me, friend, we played in a show match?

*very loud applause from the audience*

Continuation: I just came to say that you let me play normally, so here I am, we will meet soon. So guys, actually I really respect you, you are very cool guys, and I came to support you, thank you very much. Thank you for inviting me.

MONTE: Thank you!

In conclusion, there were so many questions that it would not fit in any article, but we tried to share the most interesting ones. We would like to say that this meeting turned out to be really eventful, bright and memorable, and at the end we managed to sign a T-shirt from the players, so now a real treasure is hanging in our office!

Once again we thank the MONTE team for a great game at BLAST Paris Major 2023, we wish them success and hope that they will hold the next autograph session taking first place in the Major.

This is MOJAM, stay tuned!