Things got really ugly after a journalist punched a pro-Russian Ukrainian politician in the face on live television during a heated discussion about Russian aggression against Ukraine. The wild brawl broke out between lawmaker Nestor Shufrych from the pro-Russian party Opposition Platform - For Life, and journalist Yuriy Butusov when they were debating on Russian President Vladimir Putin's stance against Ukraine.
The video of the incident, which has gone viral, shows Butosov punching Shufrych in the face and then put him in a headlock. Shufrych is one of 450 members of Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada. The brawl lasted about one minute with everyone in the studio watching.
Dirty and Wild
The incident came as a shock as Butosov, who was one of the guests punched the politician after he refused to condemn Vladimir Putin, as Russian troops amasses troops on the border for a potential invasion. Video of the incident shows Butusov lunging at parliamentary deputy Shufrych and then punching him in the face before putting him in a headlock.
The video shows Butusov walking up to Shufrych and punching him in the face, with former Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk and ex-President Petro Poroshenko watching. Butusov held his opponent in a headlock while the terrified guests screamed with them to stop.
Shufrych sprang up to fight back, and the two tumbled to the ground in a fierce scrap. The two well eventually pulled apart but interestingly, they continued their conversation on Savik Shuster's "Freedom of Speech" talk show.
The brawl continued for a minute and some of those present in the studio some also applauded when the two started fighting.
How the Brawl Started
The show was going on for a while but the debate was starting to heat up when the unexpected thing happened. The argument started when Shufrych was asked if Putin is a murderer and a criminal, which he refused to answer.
"Let Ukraine's authorities deal with that," Shufrych responded.
Poroshenko mocked Shufrych for his response, and said: "There's a Russian agent right here in the studio."
According to The Daily Beast, a bloodied Shufrych returned to the broadcast after the brawl and criticized Butusov for "scratching like a female."
The show took place at a time when tensions between Russia and Ukraine continue to escalate. Thousands of Ukrainian refugees are pouring into Russia every day after Putin's supporters ordered a mass evacuation of two separatist republics as part of a suspected "false flag" operation to create a pretext for an invasion.
After rebel leaders said Ukraine was going to strike the separatist republics of Donetsk and Luhansk on Friday, up to 700,00 residents are being evacuated. Moreover, US intelligence services have reportedly obtained information that Russia is drafting lists of political opponents to possibly arrest or assassinate if it invades Ukraine.
