Editing Russian Legion (section)

=== Formation and early competition ===

Russian Legion was established in Moscow by [[Sergei Leontiev]], who organised a group of recreational paintball players into a competitive team. The organisation's official history dates its founding to 1995, while longtime player and coach [[Maxim Preobrazhenskiy]] recalled the group's early development beginning in 1996. [1][2]

Initially playing in woodland environments and wearing camouflage, the team gradually adopted the equipment and tactics of competitive tournament paintball.

According to Preobrazhenskiy, Russian Legion began competing internationally in 1998 after establishing itself in domestic competition. [2]

In May 1999, Russian Legion finished second in the amateur seven-player division at the Mayhem Masters tournament in the United Kingdom. The Russian Paintball Federation identifies the result as an important early international achievement for Russian competitive paintball. [6]

In 2000, Russian Legion won the Russian national championship in the Masters classification. [6]

The team subsequently became an established competitor in the European professional tournament circuit.