Passion UA Faces Closure Over $600K Debt: Key Takeaways From HLTV Investigation

Ukrainian esports organization Passion UA is on the verge of shutting down due to nearly $500,000–$600,000 in unpaid debts to former Counter-Strike 2 players and staff. According to an investigation by HLTV, the club failed to pay its roster their Major prize money, while footballer Oleksandr Zinchenko claimed he was never a real owner of the organization.

Financial issues within the team had been building up gradually: delayed salaries and late payments for hotels and flights for tournaments eventually turned into a systemic crisis.

Unpaid Major Prize Money and Promised Rolexes

The bulk of the current debt consists of prize money and a share of in-game capsule revenue from the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025, where the team reached Stage 3. The organization’s total earnings from digital items are estimated at $618,000. Players have been trying unsuccessfully to receive their share since January; CEO Artemijs Rjabovs initially blamed the delay on opening a new bank account in Dubai and later cited delayed transfers from Valve.

In addition, management failed to fulfill a promise to gift Rolex watches to five players and two coaches for reaching Stage 2 of the Major. The debts have also stalled transfer activity: Complexity threatened to block the transfer of Grim to NRG over unpaid fees from a previous roster, while a signed contract to sign Imperial sniper try collapsed due to unpaid salary debts.

Oleksandr Zinchenko’s Involvement and UK Registry Edits

Soccer player Oleksandr Zinchenko, who served as the primary face of the organization since its inception, announced in June that he was ending his association with the club, stating he was merely a brand ambassador. In a comment to HLTV, the athlete emphasized that he never invested personal funds into Passion UA or managed its finances.

However, in a 2023 interview, Zinchenko spoke openly about investing in the project. Furthermore, journalists obtained 2025 audio recordings in which the footballer personally discussed salaries with players and negotiated with potential recruits.

On the day the investigation was published, filing history changes appeared in the UK registry Companies House: records listing Zinchenko as a person with significant control over PASSIONUA LTD were removed following his statement that the data was inaccurate. CEO Artemijs Rjabovs remains the sole active owner holding more than 75% of shares in the registry.

Passion UA’s operations are effectively frozen: its CS2 roster has been disbanded, staff members have left the organization, and the CEO has stopped responding to media inquiries.