A fight between a pro-Ukraine journalist and a Ukrainian politician — who is part of the pro-Russian Opposition Bloc Party — broke out on live television during a discussion on the heightened tensions between the two Eastern European nations.
Video of the incident shows journalist Yuriy Butusov slap Ukrainian Parliamentarian Nestor Shufrych after accusing the politician of spreading “Russian narratives,” according to a translation of the discussion by The Daily Caller.
Earlier in the discussion, Shufrych vowed to never call Russian President Vladimir Putin a “killer” because “he may have to negotiate with him” at some point. Shufrych then repeatedly expressed a pro-Russian position.
While waiting for U.S. President Joe Biden to address the situation in Ukraine, Butusov says members of the panel are “clowns that have gotten too much time on this program,” adding that Ukrainian troops are protecting Ukraine from Russian gunfire right now.
“It’s very sad that right now, in such a difficult moment, our people, all the people that are protecting our country, are forced to hear the embarrassing rhetoric of these two traitors,” Butusiv said.
Butusov then asked the host of the program to “please…stop letting” Shufrych and others speak because they are pushing “Russian narratives.”
After Shufrych responded to Butusov’s request, Butusov stood up, walked over to Shufrych and slapped him in the face. The slap was enough to knock Shufrych into the chair next to him, but the politician quickly got up and swung his fist at Butusov, missing his face by just inches.
After failing to strike Butusov, Shufrych tackled the journalist to the ground. Butusov managed to put the politician in a headlock while other members of the panel and the host worked to break up the clash.
Also on Friday, President Joe Biden said he now believes Russian President Vladimir Putin has reached the decision to invade Ukraine.
During a press briefing, Biden was asked whether Russia has made a decision to invade Ukraine. In the past, Biden and other administration officials had said Russia could attack at any time, but that they had determined Putin still hadn’t made a decision.
When he was again asked the question, Biden said, “At this moment, I’m convinced that he has made the decision, we have reason to believe that.”
Moments later, Biden was asked again to confirm he said he believes Putin has decided to invade Ukraine, Biden said, “Yes I did.”
