Valeriy ‘b1t’ Vakhovskiy isn’t pretending. After NAVI’s confident opener at PGL Astana 2026, the Ukrainian rifler told HLTV that the team still struggles to evaluate where it actually stands against the world’s top teams. Long stretches against lower-ranked opposition followed by short playoff exits have left the project in genuine self-knowledge limbo.
The Major-winning lineup that has yet to repeat
NAVI’s PGL Copenhagen Major in 2024 was supposed to be the start of a new dominant era. The roster is largely the same. The results haven’t been. B1ad3 has previously argued the team kept faith in its own potential — and the StarLadder Major Budapest semi-final justified the patience — but the Train removal hurt the tactical bedrock and rebuilding parts of the system has been slower than expected.
b1t himself remains the constant
Even during the slumps, b1t has been NAVI’s most reliable performer statistically. He ended 2025 as the team’s highest-rated player and made another HLTV Top 20 appearance. Analysts continue to describe him as one of the best anchor players in the world and arguably the least replaceable member of the roster.
What he said about Astana
The tone from b1t was cautious — no bold predictions, no trophy talk. Just an emphasis that simply being back at international events against elite teams matters, because the long stretches against lower opposition haven’t given the team any way to measure its real level. The rifler framed Astana as a test, not a confirmation. Given the trajectory, that’s the right framing.
