A one-and-a-half-year-old Iranian boy is fighting for his life in a coma after a tourist violently assaulted him at a Moscow-area airport, sparking shock and outrage across the globe after the video of the incident made rounds on social media.
The toddler suffered severe skull fractures and spinal injuries when a man picked him up and slammed him to the floor in the arrivals hall.
The horrifying incident, captured on surveillance footage later released by Russian news agency Mash, occurred moments after the boy and his mother arrived in Russia.
Witnesses described the attacker scanning his surroundings before seizing the child, who was standing beside a small suitcase, and forcefully throwing him down.
The boy’s pregnant mother had briefly stepped away to retrieve a pushchair when the assault took place, the Sun reported.
Russian media identified the accused as Vladimir Vitkov, a 31-year-old man from Belarus. The family of the victim had recently arrived in Russia, reportedly fleeing Iran after traveling through Afghanistan to escape ongoing US-Israel bombing campaigns.
Investigators are now probing whether the attack was racially motivated or driven by other factors.
Vitkov himself had also recently arrived in Russia, reportedly flying in from Egypt.
Police suspect he was under the influence of drugs at the time of the attack, with traces of cannabis found in his blood.
Ksenia Mishonova, Moscow Region’s Children’s Ombudswoman, strongly condemned the incident.
“A drug-addled monster grabbed a toddler in the arrivals hall and threw him on the floor with all his might… All this is incredibly difficult to bear,” Mishonova said. “I hope the detained monster will receive the full severity of the law. May the parents have the strength to survive this.”
Authorities stated that Vitkov was unable to explain his actions. When questioned about a criminal record, he reportedly told police, “I made mistakes like that.”
Russian news outlets also revealed that Vitkov has a daughter the same age as the boy he attacked. Vitkov has been taken into custody and is currently under investigation for attempted murder.
