Police Detain Man After He Rushes at Sverdlovsk Governor

May 1, 2026

A man appeared to try to attack the governor of Russia’s Sverdlovsk region during a public Labor Day event on Friday.

Video of the incident showed a man in a blue tracksuit rushing at Governor Denis Pasler while he was taking photos with people. What appeared to be either a bodyguard or a security guard grabbed the man before he could reach Pasler and then pulled him away.

It was not clear from the video whether the man was armed. Some media outlets claimed the man was intoxicated, but it was not immediately possible to verify those reports.

A spokesperson for Pasler said law enforcement authorities had the man in custody and were questioning him.

The incident took place at the Yekaterinburg Arena, where Pasler was scheduled to deliver a speech before a concert.

May 1 marks Labor Day in Russia, one of the country’s major public holidays.

Read more about: Sverdlovsk , Regions

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