Russian official goes on expletive-filled rant at bird rescue volunteers
The deputy minister for education, science, and youth policy in Russia’s Krasnodar region, Sergey Uraykin, apologized to volunteers rescuing birds in Anapa after a video of him berating them with profanities spread on social media.
“If I see a single phone near me, I swear, I’ll deal with [you],” Uraykin yells in the video, first shared on January 12. “Enough of this shit! You’re all adults here — do you even understand what you’re doing? This is manipulation! People are panicking across the entire country. Kicked out? You write that you’ve transported the birds, that you’re moving somewhere — stop fucking around! You’re going to give someone a heart attack, for fuck’s sake. I drove here at 180 fucking kilometers per hour to find out you’re moving out of here? Are you all fucking out of your minds?”
Volunteers at the rescue center respond in the video, saying they do not understand his accusations or why he is addressing them in such a manner.
The following day, Uraykin apologized on his Telegram channel for “the incident at one of the volunteer centers.” “I spoke emotionally — constant tension took its toll. In the heat of the moment, we misunderstood each other. We’re all invested and worried about the same cause,” he wrote. According to Uraykin, he arrived at the center late at night after receiving reports that it was closing. “It turned out the move was initiated by the volunteers themselves to accommodate more injured birds,” he added.
Speaking to RIA Novosti, Uraykin said the situation in the city was “tense due to drones, which were being countered,” while volunteers were “posting about being evicted,” and his main goal was to “put an end to the chaos.” “I stopped the move and calmed everyone down, starting with the volunteers,” he said.
On January 11, volunteers reported that birds were being “taken and packed up,” and they were given about 30 minutes to vacate the rescue center. They said the center still housed untreated birds, including some that were immobile or severely injured.