Virtus.pro Appoint ProbLeM as Interim CS2 Coach Ahead of 2026 Season

Virtus.pro have started the 2026 season with yet another coaching change: Dmitriy “ProbLeM” Martinov has been promoted from the organization’s academy project VP.Prodigy to become the interim head coach of the main CS2 roster. The club says the appointment is temporary and that his work will be assessed across the next few events. 

Why Virtus.pro made the switch

ProbLeM replaces Ivan “F_1N” Kochugov, who stepped down in November 2025 after a seven-month stint. At the time, Virtus.pro stated that the resignation came as a surprise internally, and they did not immediately announce a successor, only promising an update “soon.” 

With this move, Virtus.pro’s CS2 project continues a pattern that has defined the last year and a half: frequent changes at the top. HLTV describe the team as a “revolving door” of head coaches, noting that Dastan “dastan” Akbayev, Andrey “Xoma” Mironenko, Pavel “PASHANOJ” Legostaev, and F_1N have all held the position during roughly the last 18 months. 
Earlier in 2025, for example, Virtus.pro officially announced PASHANOJ’s departure and confirmed they would reveal a new coach shortly after. That transition ultimately led to F_1N’s appointment later in April 2025. 

Who is ProbLeM, and why VP chose him

ProbLeM is 27 and previously played for teams such as HellRaisers and Warthox. He took charge of VP.Prodigy in May 2024 and is credited with helping the academy roster develop into a more structured unit, including winning the Myskill Pro League Season 2 Finals in Almaty.

According to Virtus.pro CEO Nikolai Petrossian, ProbLeM’s work in 2025 stood out because of the way he built team processes, maintained a healthy environment, and helped young players grow. Petrossian also said that the players themselves suggested ProbLeM and management supported the choice, with the clear caveat that his results will be evaluated over “several tournaments.” 
A separate report echoing Virtus.pro’s announcement adds that the organization framed his promotion as a reward for the academy’s progress (including ranking movement and VRS points), while reiterating his interim status. 

The built-in continuity: ties to the current roster

The promotion also brings continuity because ProbLeM already worked closely with two players who recently moved up from VP.Prodigy:

• Vadim “tO0RO” Arkov

• Vladimir “b1st” Krasikov

Those promotions were part of the changes Virtus.pro made in 2025, when tO0RO and b1st were elevated from the academy in place of Denis “electroNic” Sharipov and Kaisar “ICY” Faiznurov, with Ilya “Perfecto” Zalutskiy taking over in-game leading duties. 

Recent context: disrupted schedule and missed chances

Virtus.pro’s late-2025 stretch was turbulent beyond staffing decisions. HLTV report that the team missed ESL Pro League Season 22 due to visa problems, which contributed to them failing to qualify for the Budapest Major, and that IEM Chengdu ended up being their final event of the season. 
Earlier, ESL also replaced Virtus.pro at an event after the team were reportedly turned away at the border, underscoring how travel/entry issues repeatedly impacted their schedule. 

What’s next: immediate tests for the interim coach

Virtus.pro won’t have long to ease into the new structure. Their season is set to open with a BLAST Bounty matchup against Vitality on January 14, 2026, and HLTV also list CCT Season 3 Europe Series 13 (starting from the playoff stage for VP) as another near-term commitment. 
Virtus.pro’s own public communications likewise point to January 14 as the next official match date. 

Current Virtus.pro lineup (with ProbLeM as interim coach)

HLTV list Virtus.pro as: FL1T, fame, Perfecto, tO0RO, b1st, with ProbLeM as interim coach. 

Bottom line: Virtus.pro are betting that an internal promotion—especially someone who already helped integrate tO0RO and b1st—can stabilize a project that has cycled through coaches quickly. The organization has been explicit that this is a trial: ProbLeM’s future hinges on how the team performs across the next set of tournaments.