YEKINDAR paid six-figure sum to VP for Liquid move
The move for Mareks "YEKINDAR" Gaļinskis from Virtus.pro to Liquid in 2022 was a complicated mess due to international restrictions on doing business with Russian entities following the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian War earlier that year. However improbable it proved to be, YEKINDAR eventually suited up for Liquid in a permanent capacity later that October.
In an interview with CYBERSHOKE founder Erik "shoke" Shokov, the Latvian spoke about his career at length, while also touching on some of the finer points of his time with Liquid over the past two years.
YEKINDAR noted during the interview with shoke that his transfer to Liquid surrounding the 2022 IEM Cologne period was not so cut and dry. He was apparently examining other options with teams like MOUZ and even G2, the latter of whom wanted him to join following the tournament.
One aspect of the transfer that was increasingly complicated was his buyout. At the time, it was forbidden for companies based in the European Union or United States to deal with companies in Russia, meaning that Liquid could not directly pay the buyout fee for YEKINDAR as Virtus.pro were still based in Russia. Virtus.pro claims they have since moved to Armenia.
When asked about the fee that YEKINDAR paid to Virtus.pro, he responded that it was greater that $500,000 but less than $1,000,000 USD.
The interview, albeit in Russian, can be found below:
