Fisticuffs between Russian and Ukrainian delegates

At a conference in Ankara, fisticuffs broke out between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations. The dispute ignited over a flag.

A scuffle broke out between a Ukrainian and a Russian delegate at a conference in Ankara on Thursday. At the meeting of MPs for the PABSEC summit, there was initially an incident during the Russian representative’s speech in the event hall. Then it got even hotter in the foyer.

The meeting was supposed to be about economic cooperation between the countries bordering the Black Sea. Members of the parliaments of the member states were invited. When Olga Timofeeva, a member of the Russian Duma, began to speak wearing a ribbon of St. George, Ukrainian delegates rose from their seats. The black and orange ribbon is a symbol of Russian expansionism.

As videos show, members of the Ukrainian delegation lined up behind her with two flags. Also seen is a visibly agitated representative of Ukraine being pushed back. This initially prompted the speaker of the Turkish parliament, as the host, to ask for silence. Mustafa Shentop interrupted the meeting and, according to a report by the Ukrainian news website Espreso.tv, expelled the delegation from the room.

A serious argument then broke out in the foyer, as videos show. When Olga Timofeeva made a statement there, the Ukrainian flag was again raised behind her. Videos show a man grabbing it and walking away. Ukrainian delegate Oleksandr Marikovski tried to take the flag back from him – and there was a scuffle and beatings. Marikovski was eventually able to get his hands on the flag. Bystanders and security forces tried to defuse the situation.

The Russian news agency Tass reported that the person attacked was the secretary of the Russian delegation, Valery Stavitsky. After the incident, he was taken to a hospital to be examined. Irina Kasimova, spokeswoman for the Russian Embassy in Ankara, told TASS: “We express our hope that the perpetrators will be punished.”

Marikovski later shared a video of the incident on Facebook and captioned it: “paws off our flag, paws off Ukraine, Russian bastard!”