In the midst of rising tensions between Russia and Ukraine, a video of a Ukrainian MP, Oleksandr Marikovskyi, purportedly punching an unidentified Russian representative who snatched the Ukrainian flag from his hands during a conference in Turkey’s capital, Ankara, has surfaced on social media.
The event occurred during the 61st General Assembly of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation in Ankara on Thursday. The event occurred during the 61st General Assembly of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation in Ankara on Thursday.
According to Turkey’s state-run news agency Anadolu Agency, the incident occurred on Thursday during the 61st General Assembly of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (PABSEC), where countries from the Black Sea region gathered to discuss ways to develop multilateral and bilateral ties on the economic, technological, and social fronts.
The video, which was released on Twitter by Jason Jay Smart, a special correspondent for the Kyiv Post and a political adviser, has more than 3 million views as of Friday morning. Marikovskyi also shared the video on his Facebook page. Newsweek covered the incident as well, citing Marikovskyi’s tweet.
“He really deserved that punch. Delegate from #Russia sparks scuffle at Black Sea Economic Community event in #Ankara, #Turkey, after forcibly taking the flag of #Ukraine from MP Marikovskyi’s hands,” tweeted advocate Ibrahim Zeidan.
Ukrainian and Russian Tensions Escalate at International Summit
During the summit, a video shows an unidentified Russian representative approaching Marikovskyi, who was holding his country’s flag. The Russian delegate snatched the flag from Marikovskyi, but Marikovskyi replied by pushing and striking the envoy in the face in order to retrieve the flag.
The episode highlighted Russia-Ukraine tensions, which have been worsened by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ongoing conflict in Eastern Ukraine. The war began in February of last year and has since expanded to major cities such as Kyiv, Kherson, Odesa, and Bakhmut.
Russia accuses the US of masterminding the Kremlin drone strike
Moscow accused the US of masterminding a drone strike on the Kremlin on Thursday, an allegation Washington disputed, and said Ukrainian sabotage on Russian soil had reached “unprecedented momentum.”
The day after the attack, Moscow stated Putin was working from the Kremlin, claiming it was a Ukrainian assassination attempt. “Decisions on such attacks are made not in Kyiv, but in Washington,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, has denied responsibility, adding, “We do not attack Moscow or Putin.”
The US has likewise denied having any participation.