Punching and striking and removing flags in the lobby of the Turkish Parliament

Russian and Ukrainian delegations brawl at summit meeting in Ankara

Members of the Ukrainian delegation raise their flag next to the deputy head of the Russian delegation during the meeting in Ankara. Reuters

A Ukrainian delegate from the Russian delegation punched him at a meeting of Black Sea countries in the Turkish capital, Ankara, after he snatched the Ukrainian flag to prevent him from breaking into a photo interview with the head of the Russian delegation.

A video clip, posted by a Ukrainian official on social media, showed that a brawl broke out between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations, the day before yesterday, in a lobby in the Turkish parliament building in the capital, Ankara, where the meeting of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization was held, and participants were forced to separate them after the quarrel.

Ukrainian delegate Oleksandr Marikovsky posted a video on Facebook beating a Russian official and returning the Ukrainian flag on the sidelines of a meeting of countries bordering the Black Sea in the Turkish capital.

Marikovsky was seen carrying a Ukrainian flag and standing behind a Russian delegate during a photo shoot, while the Russian delegate was waving the blue and yellow flag. Marikovsky pursued the Russian delegate, taking off the flag and beating him.

The Turkish parliament posted photos of the confusion on its website, and Parliament Speaker Mustafa Sentop strongly criticized what happened by "some members" of the Ukrainian delegation as unacceptable.