In the summer of 2023, when Zinchenko was interviewed remotely by HLTV, Passion UA's future seemed bright and full of promise. It was an emerging esports organization with a distinct national identity, personally endorsed by the famous footballer playing for Arsenal.
"Passion UA stems from my deep-rooted love for the game and my desire to contribute to the development of esports in my homeland, Ukraine," Zinchenko told HLTV.
"I am committed to building a world-class esports organization that can rank among the giants of the industry."
Three years later, this once-promising project is now on the verge of collapse. The entire CS roster has been disbanded, with multiple employees announcing on LinkedIn that they are looking for new jobs.
Since June 23, Passion UA's social media has remained silent. At the time, they bid farewell to Zinchenko, describing him as a "media partner" — a rather strange title for someone who had effectively been the face of the organization from day one. Meanwhile, Passion UA's video channel has also become inaccessible.
Over the past month, HLTV has spoken with several people to explore what exactly went wrong with Passion UA — an organization that owes a huge debt to its former CS team. These individuals requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
HLTV contacted Zinchenko and Passion UA CEO Artemijs Rjabovs for comment. Only Zinchenko responded to our questions.
For Passion UA, everything changed in August 2025 when they completed the signing of the Complexity quartet JT, hallzerk, Grim and nicx.
This move reunites these players with head coach T.c. The latter joined Passion UA four months ago, bringing in Munstur as assistant coach, while Kvem returned to the starting lineup after a brief stint on the bench.
"From that moment on, profit was out of the question," one source said. "People believed it would be a good investment. If handled properly, it could have been."
That moment marked a major shift in direction for Passion UA, who had previously fielded only Ukrainian players. Passion UA's all-Ukrainian roster had even beaten Virtus.pro, Spirit and Astralis in the European RMR to qualify for the Shanghai Major.
Passion UA advances to Shanghai Major 2024 with an all-Ukrainian roster
Between the RMR and the Major, CEO Rjabovs announced that the players had signed long-term contracts with the organization. But it didn't last long: by the end of the first week of 2025, Passion UA had already replaced two players. Two months later, star player jambo was sold to fnatic. As results continued to decline, the organization dropped the entire roster in August, eventually signing the Complexity core.
From a branding perspective, a Ukrainian organization with such a distinct national identity signing an Americas-ranked team seems somewhat out of place. But switching to an international roster allows Passion UA to tap into a broader talent pool, fulfilling Zinchenko's ambition to build "a world-class esports organization."
This is also almost a guaranteed channel for twice-yearly cash injections through sticker revenue sharing, as Complexity has missed only one Major since acquiring the Extra Salt core in January 2022.
Nevertheless, signing a team ranked 21st in the world at the time brought a sharp increase in costs, and the organization also had to pay a substantial fee to acquire these players from Complexity. In addition, Passion UA was still a very young and inefficiently run organization, with CEO Rjabovs overseeing almost every aspect, including finance.
"To put it in the most euphemistic terms I can think of, it's incompetence," a source said of the constant delays in their hiring process.
This was far cruder than the operations this team was used to. But at the same time, whenever they needed to solve a problem, they could directly contact Zinchenko and the CEO.
The new Passion UA roster got off to a difficult start, losing 0-2 to Monte and 9INE in DraculaN Season 1 to finish 7th-8th. By mid-September, the team had slipped to eighth in the Americas rankings, barely inside the Budapest Major qualification zone.
To boost morale, Rjabovs promised the five players, head coach T.c and the assistant a Rolex watch each if they reach Stage 2.
This team ultimately qualified for the Major through a string of successful LAN runs, securing a Stage 2 spot as the fourth-highest ranked team in the Americas, behind FURIA, paiN and MIBR.
But not everything was sunshine. By the Budapest Major, the relationship between the organization and the players had begun to deteriorate. Salaries, which had mostly been paid on time at first, were now becoming increasingly unstable, while tournament prize money remained a long-standing issue — and would continue to be until the very end.
Passion UA reached Stage 3 of the Major, nearly completing a comeback after an 0-2 start, but ultimately lost twice 11-13 in the fifth round to the tournament's dark horse and eventual runner-up, FaZe.
As the offseason progressed, Passion UA looked for potential roster upgrades. Unable to find any reasonable deals, the lineup ultimately remained unchanged, but just a few weeks into the new season, after finishing last at BLAST Bounty and IEM Krakow, the organization signed try from Imperial and brought in Senzu on loan from The MongolZ to replace hallzerk and Grim.
A source said that Grim's transfer to NRG was not driven by competitive considerations, but was a decision pushed by Passion UA management for financial reasons. Although Grim had considered seeking a new challenge for personal reasons and wanted to stay in North America longer, after learning that try and Senzu were about to join, he was willing to stay, and the team would have originally chosen to keep him over nicx.
When news of Grim's sale emerged, Complexity intervened and prepared to block the transfer, as they have still not received the full payment owed for transferring their core roster to Passion UA six months ago.
In the stalemate, the Ukrainian organization paid part of the outstanding fees, while NRG paid the remainder directly to Complexity, deducting it from the Grim buyout fee they owed Passion UA.
Passion UA management allegedly pushed for Grim's sale
Although the signings of try and Senzu put Passion UA on everyone's radar, the timing of these changes couldn't have been worse. The two new players have completely different styles from their predecessors and have almost no experience communicating in English. With the season already in full swing, they had almost no time to adapt. Senzu even missed his debut event, Roman Imperium Cup V, due to personal reasons, forcing Grim to stand in as a substitute.
"If this had been done in the offseason, we would have had more time to prepare like most other teams, and we likely would have been able to catch up," a source said.
"This team is not stable enough, but still has a very high ceiling."
The weeks leading up to the April 6 Major deadline were a hard-fought battle, with Passion UA fighting for a spot in Cologne, but ultimately losing to Sangal in the final of Urban Riga Open Season 4.
Unsurprisingly, morale took a heavy hit, but the team shook off the disappointment and carried on as always. They competed at IEM Rio, with FaNg standing in for Senzu due to the event's regional restrictions on invited slots, followed by FRAG 20 — the Mongolian star's last event with the team before his sudden move to BC.Game, who took over the Passion UA loan agreement.
Around that time, the team's players began to more forcefully demand their missing sticker share from the Budapest Major.
Back in January, they had already started questioning why they still hadn't received their share from the team items, especially since the second payment of their individual sticker share had already arrived. But after learning that some other teams hadn't received the money either, and with their main focus on qualifying for Cologne, they temporarily put the matter aside.
As a Stage 2 team, Passion UA earned approximately $618,000 from Major digital items. Two sources said CEO Rjabovs attributed the delay to the company opening a new bank account in Dubai to receive the sticker revenue share, as part of a larger plan to move operations to Dubai and exit the UK.
A growing sense of unease began to spread among the players. During their nearly eight months with Passion UA, the company at times seemed to struggle with cash flow issues. Hotel bookings were often not paid in advance, and flights were frequently booked at the last minute. On several occasions, hotel check-out was scheduled for the final day of the tournament rather than the day after, causing unnecessary stress and discomfort for the players — almost as if the organization did not expect them to reach the final.
"You walk into the room and you can hear people saying, for example, 'When will our bonuses arrive? When will we get our watches? Have you been paid this month?'" a source said.
"When these concerns weigh on the players' minds, I don't think anyone can fully focus on the match and the tournament they are competing in."
As the season neared its end, Passion UA loaned sdy from ENCE as a temporary emergency stand-in. The team still competed in the Stake Ranked Episode 2 closed qualifier and IEM Atlanta, before withdrawing from BC Game Masters Championship Season 2. The decision to skip the event in Portugal came from the organization's management, causing the team to drop significantly in the rankings.
Just two days later, HLTV revealed that Passion UA was open to offers for its players.
A source said Passion UA initially planned to sell its two most valuable assets, JT and try, disband the entire roster, and rebuild a lineup with the same philosophy as when it first entered the scene. However, in the following days, the severity of the company's financial hole was exposed internally, leading to all employees being fired.
Meanwhile, Imperial announced they have cancelled the deal with Passion UA regarding try's transfer. HLTV has learned that the Ukrainian organization failed to fulfill the terms of the deal, and the Argentine player is still owed part of his salary.
Imperial recalls try and cancels the transfer agreement with Passion UA
As the team descended into chaos over where to go next, Zinchenko publicly distanced himself from Passion UA.
"I joined it as a media partner who believes in this idea, believes in these people, and believes that we can build something truly meaningful for Ukrainian esports," he said in a video posted on Instagram on June 23.
"From day one, my role at Passion UA has been the organization's media partner. I helped develop the project, attract audience attention, and did everything possible to give the team the opportunity to grow and move forward."
"After much thought and a comprehensive analysis of the situation, I have concluded that it is time to end my involvement. This was not an easy decision, but it was well-considered and deliberate. Today I want to inform everyone that I am officially ending my cooperation with Passion UA and leaving the team."
Zinchenko's description of his role within the company caught everyone off guard, directly contradicting the narrative that had been sold from day one — even contradicting his own previous statements.
"Usually, in your mind, when you talk about a boss, you think of someone you can't get close to, someone you can't talk to, so I just tell the guys that my door is open to them 24/7," he told HLTV in 2023.
He also noted: "Apart from investing, I don't know how else I can help these young guys."
Internally, Zinchenko maintains tight control over the team and clashes with players when things go wrong. In an August 2025 recording shared with HLTV, the footballer can be heard berating the players after Passion UA were thrashed by BIG in the StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2025 closed qualifier.
"I think I've always shown you my good side, right?" Zinchenko said in a Discord call with the team. "But I haven't made a single rash move or decision yet. Those who know me better know I can have a bit of a temper. I just don't understand. Fuck, this is fucking disgraceful, fuck. 1-13, 3-13? What the fuck is that? What are you playing [matches] for? Please explain that to me."
"Why the fuck are we paying you just to finish 50th? Explain. Put yourself in my shoes. Can anyone explain to me what's going on? I fucking don't need players who have lost their fighting spirit, I don't need them. I put you together, a dream team, not to, say, drain the cash the organization had earned before. I put you together because I believe in you, and I still believe to this day."
"But patience isn't fucking infinite."
That was the team's last day playing for Passion UA. Just 48 hours later, the organization benched three players and released the other two — paving the way to sign Complexity's core roster.
In public, the CEO talked up Zinchenko's role in important matters. He revealed that when other organizations showed interest, Zinchenko had personally called try multiple times to persuade him to join, and assured Senzu that Passion UA would provide him with all the support he needed.
"We operate as a team: me, Oleksandr[Zinchenko], T.c and JT," Rjabovs said in a February interview with Leniniw.
In the same interview, he said Senzu's transfer "was jointly facilitated by me, T.c, management, and Oleksandr[Zinchenko]".
"For example, if we take organizations like Liquid or fnatic, they have a massive corporate structure, and making decisions takes a lot of time and effort," he added.
"But for us, all it takes is one call from me to Sasha[Zinchenko] — and it's done, we get to work."
When contacted by HLTV, Zinchenko insisted he had no control over the company's finances and was merely the public face of the brand.
"Throughout the entire existence of this organization, I have not received a single cent from it, nor have I made any financial investment," he said. "My sole contribution was my image rights, and my participation in developing the brand as the public face."
"This is what I meant by 'investment' in my 2023 interview, that is, putting in my likeness rights and brand."
"If I remember correctly, about three years ago, Mr. Rjabovs approached me with the idea of creating an esports organization. From the beginning, my role was merely to serve as a media partner, lending my image rights and public brand to the project."
"Therefore, I am not distancing myself from my involvement in this project, but I also cannot take responsibility for matters that were never within my remit. That is exactly what I explained to the lads."
It is certain that Zinchenko's statements about his involvement in Passion UA added credibility to the project and helped attract sponsors. He played an active role in signing the Complexity core, calling players to convince them to join and easing their concerns about the organization.
"Zinchenko's involvement was clearly used to build trust," one source said. "His name gave people the confidence to leave stable jobs and sign with Passion, because they believed they were joining an organization backed by someone with the resources and reputation to support it."
"At the end of the day, without his involvement, no one might have joined Passion."
More than a month after Zinchenko left Passion UA, the organization's website still lists him as "team owner."
Public filings in the UK Companies House database show that Zinchenko relinquished significant control of Passion UA on May 10, 2025. Another filing shows that CEO Rjabovs subsequently held 75% or more of the company's shares.
The biggest question is why both filings were not submitted until a year later, on May 18, 2026, the very day the organization ended the team's season early.
"First, I was never legally the owner of this organization — this can be easily verified through official records," Zinchenko told HLTV.
"The public filing you mentioned is incorrect, and I am taking steps to rectify this situation. I should never have been listed as a person with significant control. My statements about ownership in an interview were part of the project's public positioning, intended to attract the attention of potential partners and sponsors. I have been nothing more than a media partner from start to finish."
When asked why these filings were submitted a year late, Zinchenko said: "This question is better addressed to Mr. Rjabovs, as I was not aware of these circumstances."
The connection between Zinchenko and Rjabovs also extends to other companies:
Zinchenko Gaming Limited, founded in June 2023. Zinchenko held a majority stake (70%), and Rjabovs held a significant minority stake (30%). The company was dissolved in December 2024, just days before PASSIONUA LTD was established.
Alex Zinchenko Investments Limited, established in June 2020. Only Zinchenko was listed as the initial shareholder, while Rjabovs was a director but not a shareholder. The company was dissolved in November 2023.
Ozir Limited, incorporated in July 2019 under the name Alex Zinchenko Image Rights Ltd, was initially solely owned by Rjabovs, before Zinchenko acquired a controlling interest. Filings in November 2024 show that Rjabovs' majority/sole control was restored and Zinchenko was removed as a director. The company was renamed Ozir Limited in July 2025 and is currently in liquidation.
"I do not deny that Mr. Rjabovs has been a close family friend for many years and has had access to many aspects of my professional and personal activities," Zinchenko told HLTV.
"However, our relationship has changed significantly since then. I am unable to comment on these matters at this stage because they are still subject to legal and potentially criminal investigation."
Multiple sources said they expect Passion UA to file for liquidation. Two sources said the company currently owes the former CS roster between $500,000 and $600,000. Most of that comes from Budapest Major sticker revenue, which Rjabovs allegedly told the team on multiple occasions that Valve had never paid.
Valve did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Players and staff are still owed their team share from the Budapest Major digital items
As for the Rolex watch promised to the team for reaching Budapest Stage 2, Rjabovs never mentioned it again.
After initially agreeing to be interviewed by HLTV for this article, Rjabovs stopped responding.
HLTV has learned that he sold his 50% stake in A&P Performance Lab — a Riga-based training facility co-owned with ASTRAL — along with its equipment in June 2026. Ownership of the facility is now split equally between ASTRAL and its CEO Evgeny Shalkovsky.
"I think there's little hope of seeing any of this money," a team insider said. "I think we've basically accepted the fact that the chances of us getting any of it back are close to zero."
"But ultimately, there must be some accountability. This is also to prevent such things from happening again in the future, even if not to us, then to others."
Three years after Passion UA launched amid much fanfare, the company is quietly closing its doors, and Zinchenko's grand vision has come to nothing.
"To the community, I just want to say thank you," Zinchenko told HLTV. "Thank you for your support, your trust, and all the emotions we shared together."
"For me, this chapter has come to a close, but I hope we can meet again on the esports stage."