Man charged after slamming Afghan toddler to ground at Moscow airport

A Belarusian tourist has been charged after violently slamming an Afghan toddler to the ground in an unprovoked attack at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport.

CCTV footage shows the suspect, identified as 31-year-old Vladimir Vitkov, picking up the 18-month-old child. reportedly fleeing Israeli attacks in Iran with his family, and dropping him headfirst onto the airport floor.

The video then shows bystanders rushing to the child as another man lifts him up. The attacker is seen falling to the ground, then getting up and fleeing. Separate footage later shows Vitkov being arrested and interrogated.

The child, Yazdan, lost consciousness and was rushed to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with a severe craniocerebral injury, including skull and spinal fractures and hematomas, and placed in a medically induced coma.

Yazdan’s mother, Hajizada Sahar, who is reportedly pregnant, had been just a few feet away collecting her son’s pushchair when the attack occurred.

According to Dr Tatyana Shapovalenko, chief physician at the Roshal Children's Centre in Moscow. Yazdan is now in stable condition and shows no signs of brain damage, his mother said, adding that the child would not require neurosurgery.

Ksenia Mishonova, the children’s ombudswoman for the Moscow region, described the child's survival as "a miracle".

"In any other situation, a slightly different tilt of the head, and he, of course, would not have survived," she told The Sun. "God simply saved the boy."

The family had reached Afghanistan after fleeing war-torn Iran, where they had been visiting relatives.

Russian authorities said Vitkov was under the influence of drugs and alcohol at the time of the attack. He was found in possession of cannabis and had reportedly consumed three bottles of whisky after acquiring the drugs in Cairo, according to the Mash news outlet.

During police questioning, Vitkov admitted he had "attempted to murder a child". When asked about his motive, he reportedly said: "My motive? I don’t know – I was under the influence of drugs."

Authorities are investigating whether mental illness or racial hatred played a role in the assault. Surveillance protocols and the airport's emergency response are also under review.