A video showing a Ukrainian Member of Parliament punching a Russian representative, at a summit held in Turkey on Thursday, has gone viral on social media. The Russian representative who had allegedly taken down the Ukrainian flag was attacked by Ukrainian MP Oleksandr Marikovskyi. The incident highlights the escalating tensions between the two warring nations after the Kremlin citadel was allegedly attacked by drones recently.

The incident took place at the 61st General Assembly of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (PABSEC), according to reports.

In the summit representatives and leaders from countries of the Black Sea region met to discuss the development of multilateral and bilateral ties on technological, economic, and social fronts, Turkish news agency Anadolu Agency reported.

The video was shared by Jason Jay Smart, a special correspondent of Kyiv Post on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/officejjsmart/status/1654169241237454876

In the viral post, it can be seen that the Russian representative first approached Marikovskyi, and forcibly snatched the Ukrainian flag which he was holding.

Marikovskyi then retaliated by pushing and punching the representative in the face to reclaim the flag.

The incident highlights the escalating tensions between Russia and Ukraine. On Tuesday, Russia claimed that Ukraine attempted to kill President Vladimir Putin in an alleged drone attack on his residence.

Moscow accused the United States and the Ukraine of allegedly planning the attack to assassinate Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy denied the allegations and said that Ukraine had nothing to do with the attack.

Also read: Russia says Ukraine attempted to assassinate President Vladimir Putin

The White House also dismissed the allegations calling them ‘lies’ and a ‘ludicrous claim’ while alleging that there was no conclusive evidence of the authenticity of the video which showed the alleged drone attack, Reuters reported.

Russia’s ongoing conflict in Eastern Ukraine which began in February of last year, has now spread to major cities such as Kyiv, Kherson, Odessa, and Bakhmut in Ukraine.

Also read: Russia-Ukraine war | Drones attack Kyiv, Moscow says US behind Kremlin drone

First Published:May 5, 2023 1:43 PM IST