Alexander Lebedev Punches Sergei Polonsky On TV (VIDEO)

Associated Press

MOSCOW — A Russian tycoon has punched a fellow billionaire on a television panel show after a discussion on the financial crisis degenerated into petty name-calling.

Alexander Lebedev, a former KGB operative and owner of two major newspapers in Britain, wrote on his blog that property developer Sergei Polonsky had earned the clobbering by behaving abusively throughout the recording of the program.

In a preview clip posted on the NTV channel's website before the show airing Sunday evening, Polonsky is seen saying that he sometimes felt like "bashing (Lebedev) in the face," prompting the newspaper owner to jump to his feet.

After sitting back down, Lebedev then swiftly delivered a sucker punch, sending Polonsky tumbling to the ground.

The clip then shows Lebedev squaring up to a stunned Polonsky as the presenter puts himself between the two men.

Writing on his blog, Lebedev displayed no sign of contrition.

"Unfortunately, NTV viewers cannot see how Polonsky behaved during the one-and-a-half hour recording. Everybody could see that he was absolutely off his head," Lebedev wrote.

After the recording, Polonsky complained he had sustained a hand injury and that his jeans were ripped. That drew only mocking incredulity from Lebedev.

"Now, he's showing his ripped pants, and it is hard to say anything about that. He was hit in the face and he's showing off a hole in the backside of his trousers. Strange," Lebedev wrote.

Lebedev, who is estimated by Forbes magazine to have a net worth of $3.1 billion, made his money in the banking industry and owns a 30 percent stake in Russian airline Aeroflot. He also finances Novaya Gazeta, a Russian opposition newspaper, and two British newspapers – the Independent and the Evening Standard.

Scuffles and heated exchanges between guests are common on Russian political discussion shows.

Perhaps the most famous such incident took place in 1995, when nationalist leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky threw his drink, and then his glass, at his opponent during a television debate.

Comments

[YOKEL13]

05:37 AM on 09/20/2011

Winner takes all!

[Vyslichajici]

08:34 PM on 09/19/2011

eff russian croox

[rkeeeballs]

10:57 AM on 09/19/2011

RUSSIAN REDNECK !!Are all billionaire's this cocky??

[knewsreply]

10:21 AM on 09/19/2011

Once KGB - Always KGB

[dmb1981]

10:20 AM on 09/19/2011

And let the battle of the Youtube remixes begin!!!!!!

[bcarter436]

09:27 AM on 09/19/2011

I think we need to start this in the halls of Congress......maybe that will knock some sense into their heads.

[separatingwheatfromchaff]

10:57 AM on 09/19/2011

Typical right wing reactionary a hole.I don't like a lot of thing about what's happening,but tell me this,why is the right always first to assume they have the right to use violence?Especially since all the racists and bigots reside with you.This isn't just a rant,it's a fact.You and your ilk and I use that term endearingly,like animals,you are more like the Commies of the old USSR than they were.

[bcarter436]

12:55 PM on 09/19/2011

Whoa partner......it was a joke. BUT thank you for letting us get a little peek into your mind and soul...and the vast wasteland that they are.

It's ok though.we'll go on protecting your sorry a**es like we always do. Go back to the nap room and we'll wake you up when it's time for juice and cookies.

[one1byke]

12:26 PM on 09/19/2011

What do you think Iraq and Afghanistan are about? Read much?!

Oh wait, you need to see REAL physical altercations ...? How Roman.

[bcarter436]

12:34 PM on 09/19/2011

So you like those Roman guys wearing next to nothing with sweaty bodies? Aha! No turning back now big boy......

[Marisol Kenny]

09:19 AM on 09/19/2011

Think of the consequences, a million or more people are watching you Mr. Tycoon, leave the boxing gloves at home:-/

[houston we have aproblem]

09:14 AM on 09/19/2011

the maury pauvichsky show?

[Luanne Taylor]

09:11 AM on 09/19/2011

this is a common occurence on Russian tv? Must admit, I'd like to see Hannity get smacked in the face sometimes....HA not really....

[Rock Fossil]

09:06 AM on 09/19/2011

I miss the Kruschev-shoe banging style of the 60's!

[leftylori]

08:55 AM on 09/19/2011

Ahhh, grown ups,

[carla777]

08:51 AM on 09/19/2011

I wish I knew what they were saying, it was funny.

[ChumpChicken]

08:45 AM on 09/19/2011

Where's the rest of the clip?

[jim9034]

08:42 AM on 09/19/2011

Russia is at a point in its capitalism that those with a billion whatever’s probably did not get them by selling Girl Scout cookies.

[Athletes Foot]

08:19 AM on 09/19/2011

Some people are calling this uncivilised.

Compare two forms of policy debates:

Russia - One billionaire irritates another, gets hit in the head.

America - One politician lies about the HPV vaccine to smear another, countless children don't get vaccinated because of the lie and go on to get cervical cancer and die or be sterile as adults.

I am not saying that punching someone is civilised, but it is orders of magnitude *more* civilised than some of the smear campaigns and their consequences we see here.

[howiedetroit]

10:51 AM on 09/19/2011

I refuse to even consider someones point when they don't even know how to spell Civilized. It's spelled with a "Z" not an "S' genius !!!

[Athletes Foot]

11:56 AM on 09/19/2011

It's British English.

I work frequently in British English due to my job. I don't change my spell-check back to American English just to write comments of Huffington Post.

http://www.studyenglishtoday.net/british-american-spelling.html.

("Civilised" is even on that list.)

However, if we are going to get into banal arguments, would you like to talk about your punctuation and stylistics, e.g. missing apostrophes, lack of quotation marks, space before exclamation mark, spelling mistakes, random capitalising of letters and missing commas. Here's what your sentence should have looked like:

"I refuse to even consider someone's point when they don't even know how to spell 'civilized'. It's spelled with a 'z', not an 's', genius!!!"

The Internet is not a place to start insulting people over their writing, since the media itself lacks editorial review. Better to deal with the topic at hand then to try to derail it with quibbling of spelling mistakes lest your own get pointed out (like they just were).

[Athletes Foot]

12:17 PM on 09/19/2011

It's the British spelling. http://www.studyenglishtoday.net/british-american-spelling.html

I work in British English due to my clientele and I am not going to switch my spell-check to American English just for a comment on Huffington Post. But way to stick your foot in your mouth.