Physical Altercation Between Ukrainian and Russian Delegates in Ankara; Turkish Parliament President Condemns Incident

During a meeting of Black Sea countries in Ankara on Thursday, a member of the Ukrainian delegation engaged in a brief physical altercation with a member of the Russian delegation who snatched the Ukrainian flag from him. Olexandr Marikovski ran towards the Russian delegate after the flag was taken and retrieved it following the scuffle. Marikovski had been holding the Ukrainian flag behind the head of the Russian delegation leader during his speech. The Turkish Parliament hosted the meeting of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization, and the altercation occurred in the corridors of the parliament. Prior to the incident, some members of the Ukrainian delegation clashed with security forces who attempted to prevent them from staging a protest. These individuals held Ukrainian flags beside the Russian delegation leader during his speech as a sign of protest and shouted slogans. The Turkish Parliament published images of the altercations on its official website, and Mustafa Sentop, the President of the Turkish Parliament, strongly condemned the incident. Concurrently, as the delegations from 13 member countries of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization met, Russian drones continued attacks on Kyiv on Thursday. Currently, no negotiations are taking place to end Putin's invasion of Ukraine, which has led to the destruction of dozens of Ukrainian cities, the deaths and injuries of thousands of citizens, and the displacement of millions of civilians. U.S. intelligence assessment: Putin has 'probably' scaled back his ambitions in Ukraine. Russia conceals facts about civilian casualties in Ukraine. Message from Ukrainian artists to Russia: 'Our fire is stronger than your bombs.' Zelensky at the International Criminal Court: 'I am confident that Putin will be convicted in this court.' The U.S. called Russia's claim of involvement in the drone attack on the Kremlin 'ridiculous.'