Father Christmas is on the naughty list! Two Santas brawl in a Russian shopping mall as one shouts 'this is my territory!'

  • Santas were seen fighting in a food court inside mall in Blagoveshchensk, Russia 
  • One of the pair shouted 'This is my territory!' before the dramatic brawl began
  • Horrified children watch on before a bystander is forced to intervene in the fight

By Will Stewart for MailOnline

Published: | Updated:

Bizarre footage has captured the moment two Santas began a dramatic brawl in a Russian shopping mall as horrified children watched on.

In the clip, one of the pair shouts 'This is my territory' before the two men begin fighting on the floor of a food court inside the mall in Blagoveshchensk, Russia.

Children sat on red and green chairs to the side of the brawl watch in shock as the costumed men roll on the floor in the bitter punch-up.

In the clip, one of the pair shouts 'This is my territory' before the two men begin fighting on the floor of a food court inside the mall in Blagoveshchensk, Russia

In the clip, one of the pair shouts 'This is my territory' before the two men begin fighting on the floor of a food court inside the mall in Blagoveshchensk, Russia

One young girl asks 'Mum, are they drunk?' as the fight heats up in the mall.

At one point in the footage, the pair spin in circles on the ground as one of the men, who appears to be in a choke hold, clings on to a red sack of presents. 

A woman bystander is soon forced to intervene to halt the brawl, berating them for a lack of Christmas spirit and ordering them to behave.

'It looked like a mafia-style territorial dispute,' said an onlooker. 

At one point in the footage, the pair spin in circles on the ground as one of the men, who appears to be in a choke hold, clings on to a red sack of presents

At one point in the footage, the pair spin in circles on the ground as one of the men, who appears to be in a choke hold, clings on to a red sack of presents

Children to the side of the brawl watch in shock as the costumed men roll on the floor in the bitter punch-up

Children to the side of the brawl watch in shock as the costumed men roll on the floor in the bitter punch-up

Afterwards, the battling Father Christmases evidently pretended it had been a joke to pacify distraught children - but onlookers denied this was the case.

The mother who filmed the battling Santas posted: 'They said it was "a joke", but children were looking at it.'

In Russia, Father Christmas is known as Ded Moroz or Grandfather Frost.

The character, who has his roots in Slavic paganism mythology, gives presents to children at midnight on New Year's Eve in a tradition dating to the Stalin era.

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