The Third Army Corps finished first at the CyberWar Cup, a charity Counter-Strike 2 tournament featuring representatives of four Ukrainian military and security units. Held on August 23 ahead of Ukraine’s Independence Day, the event combined CS2 competition with a fundraising campaign supporting the participating units.
The tournament brought together teams representing the Third Army Corps, the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (HUR), the Khartiia Corps and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). The Ukrainian Esports Federation (UESF) served as the technical organizer of the competition.
Each team fielded five service members. Media captains, including bloggers and other public figures, were also involved in the project to draw attention to the tournament and its fundraising campaign.
The Third Army Corps took first place at the CyberWar Cup, while HUR finished second. Khartiia ended the competition in third place, with the SBU representatives taking fourth.
Unlike events on the professional Counter-Strike circuit, CyberWar Cup was organized primarily as a charity competition and therefore has no impact on professional CS2 team rankings.
The fundraising campaign has an overall target of UAH 2 million, with each participating unit identifying its own priority needs.
The Third Army Corps is raising funds for autonomous power equipment, EcoFlow units and drone components. HUR’s priorities include vehicles, repairs and independent power supplies, while Khartiia is seeking drones, unmanned systems equipment and communications gear. The SBU’s list includes EcoFlow units, drone detection equipment, FPV-related hardware and Starlink Mini terminals.
Transport support also became part of the initiative. Between July 15 and August 15, the HUR unit represented at the tournament lost three vehicles that were damaged or destroyed while carrying out combat missions. A replacement vehicle was subsequently provided to the unit as part of the wider charity effort.
The latest CyberWar Cup continues an initiative that began earlier in 2026. The first tournament under the format was held in March and featured representatives of the First Line special unit. The project has since expanded to bring together personnel from several Ukrainian military and security structures while retaining fundraising as one of its central elements.
Maksym Krippa, president of the Ukrainian Esports Federation, also pointed to the role such competitions can play beyond the matches themselves. According to Krippa, events of this kind give service members an opportunity to temporarily switch their attention away from the realities of the frontline.
Military and veteran esports has become a separate area of activity for UESF, with competitive gaming used as a format for maintaining team interaction and providing service members with another environment for competition and communication.
CyberWar Cup nevertheless remains separate from Ukraine’s regular professional CS2 circuit and does not affect team rankings.
UESF’s competitive CS2 calendar will continue on August 29 with Stage 4 of the Ukrainian CS2 Championship. The tournament is set to feature four open qualifiers followed by a group stage and playoffs, with UAH 100,000 in prize money. The final matches are scheduled for October 3-4.
