Man's chilling admission after slamming toddler to the ground at airport
Chilling footage shows the moment Vladimir Vitkov picked up 18-month-old Yazdan and slammed him onto the floor in the arrivals hall of Moscow's Sheremetyevo International Airport earlier this week.
The child suffered serious skull fractures and was placed into a coma.
Security footage shows the 31-year-old alleged attacker from Belarus lingering near the child, who was standing beside a suitcase.
Vitkov appears to check his surroundings before suddenly seizing the toddler and throwing him with force onto the floor.
It has been reported that Vitkov had been on the same flight as the toddler and his mother, who were fleeing bombing in Iran where they had been visiting family.
Vitkov flew into Moscow from Egypt after being fired from a nuclear construction job when he failed a drug and alcohol test, The Mirror reported.
When questioned by authorities after the incident he reportedly confessed, saying: 'I attempted to murder a child.'
Vitkov could not provide a motive for his actions because he said he was 'under the influence of drugs'.
According to Russian Investigative Committee reports, traces of cannabis were found in Vitkov's blood.
Additional reports suggest he was also found in possession of illegal substances.
Moscow Region Children's Ombudswoman Ksenia Mishonova condemned the assault, labelling Vitkov 'a drug-addled monster'.
'All this is incredibly difficult to bear,' she said.
'I hope the detained monster will receive the full severity of the law. I wish the child a speedy recovery. May the parents have the strength to survive this.'
Mishonova provided an update on the child's heath, saying his brain was not damaged and that he was no longer in a coma.
The Mirror reported a doctor at a children's hospital in Moscow said the child was admitted with a severe craniocerebral injury.
'He has an open fracture of the skull bones, a fracture of the base and vault of the skull, a subdural haematoma,' Dr Tatyana Shapovalenko said.
The toddler remains in hospital as doctors assess his condition.
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