Belarusian Man Arrested After Slamming Refugee Toddler to Ground at Moscow Airport

A Belarusian man has been arrested for violently slamming an 18-month-old refugee child headfirst onto the floor at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport, leaving the toddler in a coma with life-threatening injuries. 

The child, Yazdan, had just arrived in Russia with his pregnant mother after fleeing bombings in Iran, when he was suddenly attacked by 31-year-old Vladimir Vitkov in what authorities are calling an attempted murder.

Security footage shows Vitkov loitering near the arrivals area, glancing around before seizing the toddler and forcefully hurling him to the ground. Yazdan had been quietly standing near the luggage while his mother, Sahar Hajizada, stepped away to collect his pushchair. A bystander rushed to pick up the gravely injured boy as others restrained the attacker until police arrived.

Doctors at Moscow’s Roshal Children’s Centre confirmed the child suffered a subdural hematoma, an open skull fracture, and spinal injuries. He was placed in a medically induced coma. “He had a subdural hematoma and an open skull fracture,” said Dr. Tatyana Shapovalenko, though she added the child did not require neurosurgery.

During police interrogation, Vitkov confessed plainly: “I attempted to murder a child.” When asked to explain why, he responded, “I was under the influence of drugs.” Toxicology tests confirmed he had large quantities of alcohol and cannabis in his system, and authorities found more drugs in his possession. Reports indicated that he had drunk “three bottles of whisky” and used cannabis obtained in Cairo before the flight.

Vitkov was returning to Belarus via Moscow after being dismissed from a nuclear construction job in Egypt for failing a drug and alcohol test. His female travel companion, reportedly shocked by the attack, is cooperating with investigators.

Though early reports suggested the victim was Iranian, the Iranian Ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, later clarified: “Russian Foreign Ministry colleagues told us that the file is officially listed under Afghanistan. The innocent child, currently in a coma, is apparently from an Afghan family.”

Jalali condemned the act as “completely inhuman,” telling reporters, “A video has been circulated showing a child being brutally slammed to the ground. Some have claimed the attacker is Jewish, but I cannot confirm that.”

Outrage has poured in from officials and the public alike. Ksenia Mishonova, the Moscow Region’s Children’s Ombudswoman, condemned the assault, saying, 
 “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… I hope the detained monster will receive the full severity of the law.”
She further added, “I hope he receives hard labour until he is feeble with old age.”

In addition to the Russian Investigative Committee’s confirmation that Vitkov acted “while in a state of drug intoxication,” officials are also probing whether the attack was racially motivated.
Although Vitkov claims not to remember his motive, investigators are treating the case with grave seriousness given the victim’s refugee status.

The assault occurred just before midnight in one of the busiest terminals of Russia’s largest airport, which handles over 40 million passengers annually. The incident has reignited concerns over security screenings, drug abuse among travelers, and the vulnerability of refugees who escape war zones only to face new dangers.

Media outlets have also highlighted the disturbing detail that Vitkov has a daughter roughly the same age as Yazdan.

Online, support has poured in from around the world, with calls for justice and protection for refugee families.