Police Hunt Sochi Man for Forced Sea Bathing

In Sochi, police are searching for a man who, according to social media reports and eyewitness accounts, forcibly bathed two young children in icy water. The incident occurred today during the day at the «Kuba» beach in the Mamayka district.

In videos published online and according to witness accounts, it is seen that a naked man repeatedly submerged a small girl headfirst into the sea, and then immersed a one-year-old boy in the water. The air temperature at the time was around +9°C (48°F), and the water temperature was no higher than +10°C (50°F). To remarks from passersby dressed in warm jackets, the man, according to them, reacted aggressively. The footage was disseminated by the Telegram channel «Ostorozhno novosti» (18+).

— As a mother of three little ones, this horrified me. A girl approached, also a mother with a stroller, containing an infant. She asked what he was doing. In response, the man started being rude and yelling, asking who she was. The girl said, «I am a mother.» And he answered, «And I am a father,» an eyewitness recounted.

The Internal Affairs Directorate for the city of Sochi confirmed that an investigation into this matter has been initiated. Police officers were dispatched to the scene. The department stated that all circumstances of the incident are being established, and the actions of the children«s parents will be given a legal assessment. The man»s identity and his relationship to the children have not yet been established.