WATCH | Ukrainian MP punches Russian official in Turkey. Here's what happened

The mounting tensions between Russia and Ukraine took an ugly turn on Thursday. A video has surfaced on social media in which a Ukrainian MP, Oleksandr Marikovskyi, was seen punching an unidentified Russian representative who snagged the Ukrainian flag from his hands during a conference in Turkey’s capital Ankara.

The incident is from the 61st General Assembly of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (PABSEC) where countries of the Black Sea region gathered to discuss ways to develop multilateral and bilateral ties on the economic, technological, and social fronts.

Jason Jay Smart, a special correspondent for the Kyiv Post and a political adviser, posted the video on Twitter. As soon as it was uploaded, the video went viral and gained more than 3 million views as of Friday morning.

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The video was also posted by Marikovskyi on his Facebook account, and later Newsweek also reported on the incident.

"He really deserved that punch. Delegate from #Russia sparks scuffle at Black Sea Economic Community event in #Ankara, #Turkey, after forcibly taking the flag of #Ukraine from MP Marikovskyi's hands," tweeted advocate Ibrahim Zeidan.

In the video, the unnamed Russian representative can be seen approaching Marikovskyi, who was holding his country’s flag. The Russian delegate took the flag from Marikovskyi’s hands, who then responded by pushing and punching the representative in the face to take the flag back.

Mounting tension between Russia- Ukraine after Kremlin drone attack

The incident took place at a time when tensions between the countries are at an all-time high. Recently, the drone attack on Kremlin, which Russia is blaming on Ukraine as an assassination attempt on Vladimir Putin, has made the entire world nervous. The year-long war between Russia and Ukraine has now spread to major cities such as Kyiv, Kherson, Odesa, and Bakhmut.

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Moscow on Thursday accused the US of assisting and plotting a drone attack with Ukraine on Kremlin, a charge denied by Washington. The US also said that Ukrainian sabotage on Russian territory had reached “unprecedented momentum.”

Moscow said Putin was inside the Kremlin when the attack took place, which it said was Ukraine’s attempt to kill him. "Decisions on such attacks are not made in Kyiv, but in Washington," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Ukraine has denied responsibility, with President Volodymyr Zelensky saying "We do not attack Moscow or Putin."

Since the attack, Russian President Vladimir Putin has been shifted to a bunker at his residence in Novo-Ogaryovo near Moscow, Kremlin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told news agency RIA Novosti.

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