In Switzerland a man attacked a family for speaking Ukrainian on a train; Swiss police reluctant to react
A Russian-speaking man threatened a Ukrainian family on a train in Switzerland after hearing them speak Ukrainian. The incident was reported by Olena Dudnyk, who posted a video of the conflict on Facebook and shared details with hromadske.
She said the altercation happened on an Interlaken–Spiez train as she, her husband, and their one-year-old son were on their way home. The man, after hearing Ukrainian, began insulting and threatening the family and demanded they leave the train car. The video shows him swearing, making obscene gestures, and demanding the recording be deleted while the family attempts to remain calm.
Olena Dudnyk said that after the verbal aggression, the man provoked a fight, necessitating a police call. She said Swiss police were slow to respond and had not yet taken any action. However, her husband was informed that after reviewing the surveillance video, he might be fined for bodily harm. The family plans to appeal to the prosecutor’s office.
The woman also noted that after the video was published, other people recognized the man and reported similar incidents. They claimed he had allegedly repeatedly threatened women and children with violence and rape. Dudnyk asserts the attacker’s name is Alexander Vabix and that he is from Latvia.
Heorhiy Tykhyy, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine (MFA), called the incident “horrible,” stressing that hate speech and inter-ethnic hatred are unacceptable. Ukraine has appealed to Swiss authorities to investigate the incident and bring the perpetrator to justice.
Earlier, ZMINA reported that the Eastern Human Rights Group had issued a recommendation for foreign countries to impose stricter visa controls on Russian citizens who are relocating and traveling en masse to the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
