The mother of a Ukrainian Armed Forces serviceman was beaten and thrown off a bus in Lviv Oblast for speaking Russian, Strana.ua reported.
The Ukrainian publication cited an Instagram post published by the soldier. He said his mother was traveling to him from Poland when bus passengers began reprimanding her for using the Russian language.
The confrontation turned physical when someone struck the woman in the eye. Her son stated that the attackers demanded a $500 bribe and said police took the side of the assailants.
The soldier questioned why he was defending people after self-described Lviv patriots beat his mother for not speaking Ukrainian and forced her off the bus. He said she was left stranded on the highway attempting to hail another bus. Police later filed a minor hooliganism report against his mother.
Fined for speaking Russian
Earlier, goalkeeper coach Vyacheslav Bogodelov of Ukrainian football club Dinaz was fined for using the Russian language. He published a document showing a fine of 11,426 hryvnias, which is about 20,500 rubles. Bogodelov emphasized that he has spoken Russian throughout his entire life.
