NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — A Brooklyn man has been charged with attempted murder as a hate crime for allegedly attacking and stabbing a Ukrainian man after stating: “You look Russian,” District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced Wednesday.
The 31-year-old Gravesend man, Oleg Sulyma, was at Falada, a lounge in Sheepshead Bay, on April 25. Around 3:45 a.m., Sulyma allegedly approached the 36-year-old victim and his two friends and said: “You look Russian,” and demanded proof they were Ukrainian.
Sulyma continued to insist the men were Russian despite the men telling him they were Ukrainian. He then allegedly said “I will show you what a real Ukrainian is” before grabbing two beer bottles, smashing them against a table and threatening the victim and one of the friends saying “I’m going to cut you,” court documents show.
According to the investigation, Sulyma then allegedly stabbed the victim on the left side of his neck and the right side of his face at which point a waiter at the lounge called 911. When police arrived, Sulyma allegedly called the victim a “Russian [expletive]” in the cops’ presence.
The victim was taken to Lutheran Hospital where he received 17 stitches.
“This defendant allegedly attempted to murder an innocent Ukrainian man who he believed to be Russian in a hateful and violent rage,” said D.A. Gonzalez. “Brooklyn’s diversity makes our borough so vibrant, and hate-motivated violence will never be tolerated here. Prosecutors in our Hate Crimes Bureau will vigorously seek accountability in this case, and we will continue to work with our community and law enforcement partners to end the troubling uptick in bias-related incidents in our neighborhoods.”
Sulyma was arraigned on a 24-count indictment with several hate crime charges included attempted murder, first-degree assault and attempted assault. He is on supervised release and was ordered to return to court on August 8, 2022.
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