Putin embarrassment as live tv wrestling event in occupied crimea erupts into violent mass brawl
Violence erupts in packed arena
According to The Sun, a televised wrestling competition in Russian occupied Crimea spiralled out of control when a dispute between competitors escalated into a mass fight involving dozens of people. Video shared online shows wrestlers throwing punches as members of the audience climbed down from the stands to join the melee.
The disorder spread rapidly across the arena floor, overwhelming event staff and leaving police struggling to contain the situation.
Live broadcast abruptly halted
The Sun reported that live coverage of the tournament was suspended for roughly 90 minutes as authorities attempted to restore order. Footage from inside the venue showed officers pushing through the crowd as the confrontation continued.
Several spectators appeared to abandon their seats entirely, moving from the stands into the fighting as the violence intensified.
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Police confirm use of force
Local police later acknowledged that force was used to end the clash. In a statement carried by Russian controlled media and cited by The Sun, officers said, “Using special means, law enforcement officers were able to contain the conflict and restore order.”
Another account referenced by The Sun said the violence began after one wrestler reacted angrily to a defeat. “The conflict began after one of the wrestlers lost a match, he couldn’t accept the defeat and resorted to fisticuffs, with others joining in,” the report said.
“The police even had to use batons to calm the crowd. The organisers decided to disqualify the brawlers from further participation in the competition.”
Broadcast quietly edited
The incident took place at the Kuresh 2025 tournament in Simferopol. According to The Sun, some reports suggested the initial argument involved wrestlers from Crimea and Russia’s Stavropol region.
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Russian controlled television channels later removed footage of the brawl from their coverage. Local reports described the decision as an attempt to avoid embarrassment and limit the spread of images that contradicted official messaging.
Crimea and the politics of image control
The Sun noted that the brawl drew attention because it clashed with state narratives portraying Crimea as stable under Russian administration. Russia annexed the peninsula from Ukraine in 2014, a move rejected by much of the international community.
Under international law, Crimea remains recognised as Ukrainian territory, and incidents like this continue to highlight the tension between events on the ground and how life in the region is presented by state aligned media.
Sources, The Sun, reporting by Harvey Geh and Will Stewart
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