After objecting to Russian music: an ATO veteran was beaten with rebar in Zatoka

The attacker first struck the man with an electric heater, then with a metal rebar

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11 Jul 2026

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У Затоці місцевий житель побив ветерана АТО

At one of the holiday bases in the village of Zatoka in the Odesa region, veteran of the ATO and combatant Serhiy Pihura was beaten during a conflict. The victim was hospitalized and the police opened a criminal case.

Law enforcement clarified that the man is currently not a serviceman.

Soldier and lawyer Nazarii Chokoi reported on Threads that the attack took place in front of two young children.

“In Zatoka a man beat a serviceman with rebar over a remark about Russian music. The attacker strangled the victim with rebar in front of two small children. As the defender’s wife Kateryna found out, the attacker Viktor Stopchynskyi is a well-known figure in the region. Locals and bloggers reported that this man already has at least two open criminal cases. Currently Serhiy Pihura is receiving inpatient treatment.
The defender’s wife says that despite the severity of his injuries — a concussion, a head wound, a broken nose and arm, and sutures on his face — the police still have not questioned the victim,” Chokoi wrote.

According to the wife of the victim, Kateryna, the conflict began after Serhiy Pihura asked to turn off Russian music. Another holidaymaker allegedly turned up the volume, after which a fight broke out. The woman claims that her husband was hit with an electric heater, and then struck on the arm and head with a metal rebar. After falling, the attacker allegedly tried to strangle the veteran and threatened to kill him. He was stopped by the victim’s wife and bystanders.

Serhiy Pihura was taken to a hospital in Ovidiopol. According to his wife, he was diagnosed with a concussion, a head wound, fractures of the nose and arm, and sutures were applied to his face. The police have not officially confirmed this list of injuries. Their nature and severity are to be determined by forensic medical experts.

The man named in reports as a participant in the conflict, Viktor Stopchynskyi, told Suspilne that the dispute began after a remark about the music. According to him, the victim also touched his belongings.

“I simply could not stand it mentally anymore. I hit him a couple of times, there was some stick lying around. I did not take out any rebar, that’s all lies. I was near the grills, what rebar, my car was parked about 50 meters away. There was some stick lying around to poke in the grill. They got on my nerves, and when I broke free I hit him twice with the stick. That’s it. And that was the end of it,” Stopchynskyi said.

Viktor Stopchynskyi also said that the police did not summon him for questioning, they only asked about his health. He said he has a few scratches and does not plan to file a statement.

According to preliminary police data, during the conflict the victim was struck on the head with a metal rod. The reasons for the altercation, including the version about Russian music, are still being investigated.

The criminal case was opened under part 1 of Article 122 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — intentional bodily injury of medium severity. No one has been notified of suspicion.

Serhiy Pihura was in the ATO zone in 2014, and in 2015 he received the status of a combat participant.

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