Nemiga bench riskyb0b amid ongoing CS2 roster rebuild

Nemiga have announced that Maksim “riskyb0b” Churikov has been moved to the bench, ending the 23-year-old’s two-plus-year run in the starting five. The decision comes only weeks after the organization reshaped its lineup going into 2026, making this the second major roster adjustment in a short span. 

Why Nemiga made the move

In Nemiga’s official explanation (relayed by HLTV), head coach Anton “boX” Burko said riskyb0b treated his transition into an in-game leader (IGL) role with “great responsibility,” but emphasized that the time required to fully integrate the strategic changes “isn’t affordable in the current tier-two environment.” In other words, Nemiga appear to believe they need faster, more immediate progress to keep pace in a highly volatile CS2 tier-two scene, where packed schedules and constant qualifiers punish any extended “rebuild” period. 

Context: a rapid rebuild that started in January

This benching follows Nemiga’s January overhaul, when the team benched Aliaksandr “1eeR” Nahorny and Kirill “Xant3r” Kononov (with 1eeR and Xant3r also placed on the transfer list at the time) and brought in Aleksandr “KaiR0N-” Anashkin plus Daniel “syph0” Ageyev (loan). That change was framed as a reset after the team struggled to regain momentum in the months following their best results of 2025. 

HLTV’s reporting indicates that, after those January moves, riskyb0b picked up the IGL reins—a major responsibility shift for any player, and often a role change that can affect both individual performance and team consistency. 

From steady tier-two risers to Major headlines — and then a dip

Riskyb0b originally joined Nemiga in December 2023, and during his tenure the team climbed through the tier-two ecosystem, reaching a peak of No. 19 in the VRS according to HLTV’s report. The highlight of that era was Nemiga’s breakout run at the BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025, where they exceeded expectations—first making it through the early phase (including a key win over FlyQuest to progress) and ultimately reaching Stage 3 of the tournament. 

But the post-Major period proved difficult. Nemiga’s roster was hit when Ivan “zweih” Gogin—described by HLTV as a star for the team—was transferred to Spirit, and HLTV notes that Nemiga’s form dipped afterward. That downturn appears to have set the stage for the 2026 rebuild and the recent leadership experiment with riskyb0b calling. 

Recent results weren’t terrible — but Nemiga still pulled the trigger

Interestingly, HLTV reports Nemiga had shown an uptick in results recently, including runner-up finishes in the online events Exort Cataclysm and CCT Season 3 Europe Series 13. Even so, Nemiga have decided they can’t afford the longer time horizon implied by reshaping systems around a new IGL, at least in the current competitive climate. 

What Nemiga’s roster looks like now

After benching riskyb0b, HLTV lists Nemiga’s active lineup as:

• Aleksandr “KaiR0N-” Anashkin

• Maksim “sowalio” Beketov

• Beksultan “khaN” Ospan

• Daniel “syph0” Ageyev

• Anton “boX” Burko (coach)

HLTV also notes that riskyb0b is benched, and that 1eeR remains benched as well. As of the announcement, no replacement fifth has been confirmed in HLTV’s report. 

Bigger picture

With two big decisions in barely over a month—first the January overhaul, now moving a newly appointed IGL to the bench—Nemiga are signaling urgency. The team clearly values stability and structure, but their message is that tier-two CS2 doesn’t allow long “implementation” windows: you either convert quickly, or you risk falling behind in rankings, invites, and qualifiers.