Along with his parents, Orudzhev and his seven younger siblings grabbed whatever they could — “the most important stuff,” he said — including passports, cash, and legal documents relating to their flat, before running out.
The frenzy in their home immediately gave way to an even more terrifying feeling: They were stuck. The roads were choked with traffic as others sought to flee the city. The usual four-hour journey to Kostopil, where Orudzhev was born and where his grandmother lives, took the family 18 hours.
“For me, it was really hard to understand what’s going on in the beginning — who’s going to start a war in these times?” said Orudzhev said, who competes on the professional “Counter-Strike: Global Offensive” (“CS:GO”) circuit under the gamertag “somedieyoung.” “And for now my life is completely changed because I…
