AVANGAR have ceased operations effective immediately, the organization announced on Wednesday.

In a Twitter post, AVANGAR explained that they are shutting down all team operations to focus on "building and developing esports venues in Kazakhstan". The news took many by surprise, especially considering that it was made on April Fools' Day, but HLTV.org confirmed the story with a staff member, with Cybersport.ru also reporting that the announcement is not a hoax.

The ex-AVANGAR roster was one of few CIS teams to reach a Major final

Founded in July 2017, AVANGAR quickly developed into one of the top-tier CS:GO contenders in the region. Last year, their former roster, now representing Virtus.pro, finished in second place at the StarLadder Berlin Major and won BLAST Pro Series Moscow, peaking at No.3 in the world rankings.

"It’s difficult to say goodbye after all that we have done for the community, players and company staff," AVANGAR CEO Yongun Kim said on VK.com. "To be a part of the process behind an esports organisation is incredible, and I will always remember with warmth the days when I spent time with our teams and saw that they discovered something new with us.

"I would like to thank every single person that played their part in our history, and also those that followed it."

After selling that team to Virtus.pro, AVANGAR returned to CS:GO in January with a roster featuring up-and-coming Kazakhstani players and coached by Sergey "⁠lmbt⁠" Bezhanov, who left the project last month. The future of the team, who have yet to play an official match, is currently up in the air.