VIT Derke: “I’m really happy to play with Chronicle again.”

Team Vitality (VIT) is starting to look really scary for the 2026 season, and Nikita “Derke” Sirmitev is confident in their ability to do great things. In an exclusive interview with esports.gg, he went over his 2025 year, including the team’s domestic victory and the lack of results during the season.

He also discussed the new additions to the roster, especially his connection with Timofey “Chronicle” Khromov, as both were incredibly successful during their time with Fnatic. Could the 2026 season turn out completely different for the bees?

As the only victory throughout the year, winning the VCT EMEA: Kickoff Stage was definitely the highest moment of Derke's year. "Winning Kickoff, going to Bangkok, and getting a 4th place was really good. The tournament was good. We didn't just drop out in the Playoffs without a fight. It was a great experience," VIT Derke described it in the interview.

"After that, we had a tough time. We didn't qualify for other events. Despite that, we still had a great start to the year. We started strong, but then we kind of slowed down a little. Many teams would like to be in our position, even with the lack of results during the year. Everyone wants to win. I'm not sad about it," he added.

The 2026 season will come with big changes to the Team Vitality roster. Elias "Jamppi" Olkkonen, David "PROFEK" Święć, and Timofey "Chronicle" Khromov joined the team, while Kimmie "Kicks" Laasner and Felipe "Less" Basso left the team. Jamppi and Derke know each other pretty well, as both went to the same school.

“Jamppi and PROFEK can bring a lot of consistency to the team, especially since they brought the coach with them. They already have their routines in place. Jamppi has matured a lot. He’s consistent, experienced, and stepping up as a leader is incredible for us. I fully trust him, and even though he doesn’t have any titles, he’s still a very successful player when you look at his career,” Derke said. “As for PROFEK, I was very impressed by his consistency in 2025 as a controller. He’s really good.

Less might leave the team, but VIT Derke believes he will succeed no matter what team he joins next. "I'm really grateful for him because we won a tournament with him. It was such a funny guy. He put a smile on anyone so easily. He was always smiling. I hope we get to face each other again in future tournaments," Derke stated.

But did Derke actually learned anything in Portuguese? "I didn't want to learn anything bad," he laughed. "I learned 'bom trabalho', which means good job. He told you can use it sarcastically when someone does a bad play. It's funny."

The return of the Derke-Chronicle duo was very special for many fans of the 2023 Fnatic team. The iconic duo won together the VCT 2023: LOCK//IN São Paulo, the VALORANT Masters Tokyo 2023, and two domestic titles. “I’m really happy to play with him again. He’s Russian, and I speak Russian because of my dad, which helped us build a strong connection. He plays this game differently. He can be in the toughest situations and still stay calm. Having his perspective is so important because he sees the technical side in a unique way, so he can help us a lot," Derke said.

“Chronicle is very professional. He’s not as stubborn as I am, and I feel like everyone will have only good things to say about him. He’s such a solid player. He listens and gives his opinion honestly and respectfully, even if you made a really bad play. That’s a rare quality in this scene, because sometimes egos get in the way, and it’s hard to argue with people who think they know everything," VIT Derke explained. “When he joined Fnatic, I felt relieved to have someone like him on the team.”

Watching Fnatic lose at the VALORANT Champions 2025 was tough. “I know how much that title meant to them, especially for Chronicle. It was the second time we lost that title. It’s funny because he jokes about it. He’s a smart guy, he knows he’s good, and someday that trophy will be his. The same goes for Boaster, who has dreamed about that trophy for so long. He always gives his all, and seeing him lose was really tough," he said.

Chronicle was in the first VALORANT Champions Championship in 2021 when he lost against Ascend. He was playing for Gambit Esports.

In 2026, VIT Derke is aiming for a big year. With new talent joining the team, he hopes to qualify for more international events and bring more domestic titles to Team Vitality. “We’re going full gas pedal. We’re going to try our hardest. This offseason, we’ve been training and focusing on the fundamentals to start the season strong. I don’t want to go in with a ‘we need to win’ mentality, but I want us to at least qualify for the bigger tournaments before aiming for victories,” he added.

Next year, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) could be really exciting to watch, as roster changes promise high-level VALORANT, as always. The Kickoff Stage begins on Jan. 20.

That's all for now. Stick around for more VALORANT news, guides, and updates on esports.gg.