smooya issues apology for "Slava Ukraini" tweet

Controversy seemed to emerge last night when Owen "smooya" Butterfield posted "Crazy situstion [sic] happening here, update you soon" without any clear context as to what the post concerned.

The replies to smooya's post indicated that the player had posted something along the lines of "Slava Ukrani" as a response to a Monte Esports post-game graphic. Monte replied to the now deleted post with "Glory to the Heroes! ".

Dust2.us has not been able to independently verify what smooya responded, however Ukrainian caster Oleksandr "Petr1k" Petryk posted a screenshot which allegedly includes smooya saying "Slava Ukrani".

The statement "Slava Ukraini" means "Glory to Ukraine", in English, and has been used as a rallying cry and symbol of Ukrainian sovereignty in light of the Russian-Ukrainian War. It is traditionally met with the response "Glory to the heroes", which is what Monte had replied to smooya's now deleted post.

It is important to note that FORZE is a Russian esports organization which is headquartered in Moscow. In the months after the war, the Russian government has criminalized speech that discredits the army. This law has been so sweeping that it has been applied towards speech that is in support of Ukraine, including wearing blue and yellow clothing.

Following smooya's tweet, organizations like Into the Breach replied with "Slava ukraini " and Monte declared, "#WeStandWithSmooya". The Monte organization has built a reputation for being outwardly supportive of the Ukrainian struggle in the current Russian-Ukrainian war, while also being openly antagonistic to Russian organizations and players, landing them in hot water in the past.

This morning, smooya issued a statement alluding to his potential controversial post and apologized for his actions. "Some individuals may have misinterpreted my playful response to a tweet by Monte as an aggressive gesture against FORZE. However that was not my intention," he said in his post. "I am a dedicated standin of the team and I strike to contribute towards our success here in Malta. I have never tried to play poorly on purpose, and I have always done my best to win and will continue to do so in the future."

"I acknowledge that my response was in poor taste. I am still learning the nuances and implications of certain expressions and I never intented to cause any conflict or offense."

"I hold great respect for FORZE and their fans. I do not discriminate against people based on their nationality or skin color. If my recent posts have inadvertently offended anyone then I sincerely apologise."

The Brit followed up the apology with another, more personalized statement. "I will clarify everything via stream when I'm home. Until then I will focus on my showing here at EPL," said smooya. "Thanks to those who understand and those who don't just wait for my stream😘"