Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov, the prominent Russian esports player, is set to depart from G2 Esports` CS2 team in the near future. This announcement was made by the club`s CEO, Alban Stilgar Dechelotte, on X.
In his statement, the CEO confirmed the rumors, stating, “The rumors are true. We have decided to agree to a deal for our young GOAT from the CS roster. I would just ask you to address your comments on this to me, and not to the management, staff or players of the team, as this was an organizational level decision.”
He further elaborated on the decision, mentioning that m0NESY`s contract was expiring in December 2025. The organization opted to “maximize our chances of rebuilding the team for the future through this deal, rather than hoping for a lucky break at the last minute.”
The CEO expressed sadness at m0NESY`s departure, acknowledging his significant contributions: “I am very sad to see Ilya leave, but I wish him all the best and thank him for the magical moments he gave us. After four years of failure in the fight for trophies under the previous leadership, this team and its staff finally won six trophies in the last two years under the G2 banner, including Cologne and Katowice.”
He also noted the internal team dynamics: “It was obvious that Ilya had distanced himself a little from the rest of the team due to this situation, and it was very difficult to have meaningful conversations with potential talents without clarity about his future. Now that the decision has been made, we are going to make the most of the last three championships of the season and in parallel work on preparing a promising roster for next season.”
Highlighting G2`s broader esports success and resilience, the CEO stated, “G2 is one of the few organizations in the world competing at the highest level in all leading disciplines such as LoL, Valorant and CS. We have experience in creating rosters and turning players into stars, and if we fail to live up to our high expectations, we are not afraid to start over and rebuild.”
He referenced past successes in other esports: “After the 2021 season in LoL – eight trophies and 11 finals out of 11 possible. After the failures of the Valorant roster in 2022 and 2023 – our first victory in the American VCT and reaching the final of the Masters. CS will be no exception. Despite the fact that departures are often difficult, and some are even painful, we look forward to unlocking the full potential of the new roster.”
Concluding with a team motto, he added, “We are samurai not because we always win, but because we always get back on our feet.”
M0NESY joined G2 in January 2022. During his tenure, the team secured victories at several major tournaments, including BLAST Premier: World Final 2024, IEM Cologne 2023, and IEM Katowice 2023. Rumors suggest that m0NESY will continue his career with Team Falcons. According to insider Guillaume “neL” Canelo, this transfer is expected to be the largest in CS history.