Virtus.pro Reinstates mir as IGL in New CS2 Roster Shake-Up

 

Virtus.pro Reinstates mir as IGL in New CS2 Roster Shake-Up

Virtus.pro have officially announced that Nikolay “mir” Bityukov is returning to their Counter-Strike 2 roster as the team’s in-game leader (IGL). This marks a full comeback for the 30-year-old veteran, who had not competed in regular professional Counter-Strike since April 2024.

Mir was previously a core part of Virtus.pro from mid-2023 through early 2024, and competed in multiple events representing the organization. His last full competitive appearance for VP came at IEM Chengdu 2024, after which he remained without a stable roster spot — with his only official play since then being a stand-in at IEM Katowice 2025.

According to the club’s public announcement, the reinstatement of mir as IGL is the first step in Virtus.pro’s efforts to restructure their CS2 division. This follows a deeply disappointing start to the 2026 season, in which the roster lost all five of its competitive series — including defeats to teams such as RUSTEC and WW — resulting in VP plummeting to around #100 in the VRS (Virtus.pro Ranking System).

As part of this reset, Virtus.pro also confirmed that two younger players, Vladimir “b1st” Krasikov and Vadim “tO0RO” Arkov, will feature for VP.Prodigy at their immediate upcoming events. While the organization has confirmed their return to competitive play, it has not clarified whether these assignments are intended as long-term decisions.

The roster overhaul comes hot on the heels of the club removing Experienced players Ilya “Perfecto” Zalutskiy, Evgenii “FL1T” Lebedev, and Petr “fame” Bolyshev from the main lineup earlier in February. That cohort had struggled to deliver results, prompting Virtus.pro to bench and list them for transfer as the team searches for stability.

Club insiders and CS2 analysts note that mir’s return brings a blend of leadership and strategic discipline, with hopes that his experience will help establish a more competitive foundation for VP moving forward. The team’s upcoming schedule will test this new direction, as Virtus.pro looks to climb back toward relevance in the CS2 competitive scene.

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Key Context (Verified Sources Only)

• mir’s Track Record
– Mir joins Virtus.pro as an experienced player with previous tenure on the roster.
• Virtus.pro’s Poor 2026 Start
– The team’s 0-5 series skid led to ranking drops and triggered organizational changes.
• VP.Prodigy Call-ups
– b1st and tO0RO will represent the Virtus.pro academy side in upcoming events, though longer plans are unclear.