You're reading: Pro-presidential lawmaker’s son caught on video beating girl, search warrant issued

This videotape captures a portion of the beating.

The son of a deputy from President Viktor Yanukovych's Party of Regions is under investigation for beating a girl in a restaurant in the eastern city of Luhansk.

Caught on video, the alleged attack has caused uproar in the media and Internet chat sites where commentators have decried the apparent impunity that Ukraine’s political and business leaders and their families act with.

The incident happened on late in the evening on July 3 into July 4 at Bakkara, a Luhansk restaurant. A member of the Luhansk City Council and son of parliamentary deputy Volodymyr Landyk, Roman Landyk is seen on the restaurant’s surveillance cameras reaching across a table, purposefully spilling a drink on the girl, Maria Korshunova. She throws a drink back at him. Landik then punches her. She hits him back in the head with what looks to be a bottle or glass. He launches into a violent assault on the girl, punching her and wrestling her across a table.

The fight ends after a few minutes. Calm returns to the restaurant. But Landyk later returns and throws more blows. He grabs her by the arm, and pulls her onto the floor, dragging her along by her hair.

There is no sign of restaurant security protecting the girl in the packed restaurant.

Citing witnesses, local news portal Ostrov wrote that the video doesn’t capture the whole incident, and that the attack lasted around 20 minutes. (http://www.ostro.org/news/article-207666/)

Korshunova was taken to the hospital with concussion, damage to vertebrae and bruising.

The Luhansk Oblast prosecutor has opened a criminal investigation into Landyk for alleged hooliganism. On July 9, Ukraine’s police announced that asearch warrant had been issued for Landyk, who, they claim, could not be found at his permanent residence.

During a press conference on July 8, Yanukovych said he had discussed the incident with Landyk’s father, whom he described as an acquaintance. Yanukovych said Landyk’s father, a businessman and lawmaker, was defensive but disturbed about the incident.

During the week, Landyk, 36, denied beating Korshunova and complained to police that she had attacked him.

News and videos of the incident spread like wildfire across the Internet. Landyk’s page on social networks was covered with criticism, some using strong language. Many were shocked not only by a man beating a girl, but also the failure of men who were watching the incident to try to stop it.

Mustafa Nayem, a journalist for the leading Ukrainska Pravda news portal, criticized leading members of the ruling, pro-presidential Party of Regions, of which Landik is a member, for not reacting to the incident.

“Is the silence of common slobs in the café any more monstrous than the silence of politicians?” he wrote.