Fistfight breaks out in Ukrainian parliament
(MENAFN) Chaos erupted in the Ukrainian parliament on Thursday as lawmakers exchanged punches and obscene gestures during a heated session aimed at restoring the independence of the country’s anti-corruption bodies.
The conflict arose as the Rada debated repealing controversial amendments from the previous week that placed the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) under executive control. This move had sparked widespread protests across Ukraine and drawn criticism from Western donors who finance much of Kiev’s government.
This session was the first to be broadcast live since the escalation of the conflict with Russia in 2022; live coverage had been suspended earlier over security concerns, though proceedings remained available online.
During the debate, two members of President Zelensky’s ruling Servant of the People party, Vladlen Neklydov and Gennady Kasay, were caught on camera briefly fighting on the chamber floor, though the reason for the altercation was unclear. Meanwhile, veteran opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko spoke to the parliament while her party colleague Sergey Vlasenko was filmed making a rude gesture from the back row.
Ultimately, the session overturned the prior week’s approval of Zelensky’s plan to bring anti-corruption agencies under direct government control—an action widely seen as an effort to protect the president’s allies from corruption probes.
Physical clashes are not unusual in the Ukrainian legislature; just weeks earlier, lawmakers clashed during a debate over Zelensky’s government resignation request.
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