Overview

• Vladimir Vitkov, a 31-year-old Belarusian, admitted to investigators that he tried to kill the child and said he was under the influence of drugs during the attack.
• Security footage shows Vitkov grabbing the toddler in the arrivals hall and slamming him headfirst to the floor, causing skull fractures and spinal injuries.
• The victim, an Afghan national holding Russian citizenship, was removed from his coma on June 25 and is now recovering at Moscow’s Roshal Children’s Centre.
• Authorities detected traces of cannabis in Vitkov’s blood and reports indicate he was dismissed from a nuclear plant construction job in Egypt after failing a drug test.
• The Afghan Embassy in Moscow is providing legal and diplomatic support to the family as the Russian Investigative Committee moves forward with attempted murder charges.