Alex Trelinski
TWO Russians are being investigated over the beating up of a Ukrainian man in a Torrevieja bar last Sunday(April 10).
The victim, 43, was repeatedly kicked and punched and suffered a broken nose after telling them he was a Ukrainian.
A Torrevieja Ukrainian association spokesperson said it was ‘a miracle’ that he was not killed.
The two Russians, plus a third man, entered the Tentaciones Bar on Calle La Sal at 11.30pm.
They wanted to be served, despite the owner saying it was closing time.
They stood their ground and the Ukrainian, named as Ruslan, who has lived in Torrevieja for 23 years, reiterated the owner’s comments.
The trio asked Ruslan where he came from and he told them that ‘I’m Ukrainian. Glory Ukraine’.
The men pounced on him and kicked and punched him, before fleeing the bar.
The Informacion newspaper said that Ruslan could not get out of bed on Monday due to his injuries and it wasn’t until Wednesday that he filed a complaint with the Guardia Civil.
Two of the aggressors, Russian brothers, have been identified with existing criminal records including violence.
The Ukraine solidarity group ‘Heart to Heart Torrevieja’ branded the assault as ‘barbaric’ and ‘terrible cruelty’.
It is providing psychological support to Ruslan and getting legal advice over a possible hate crime charge against the men.
A group member told Informacion: “We were afraid that something like this could happen and that sparks would fly as a result of the armed conflict.”
The member added the hope that it was an isolated incident which won’t change the peaceful coexistence between over a hundred different nationalities in Torrevieja.
READ MORE:
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- Russians defraud vulnerable Ukrainian refugees queuing up for residency permits on Spain’s Costa Blanca
- Spain forms specialist hate crime police units to counter increase in racist and homophobic assaults
