Russian authorities opened a probe on January 9 after a hospital doctor was captured on a security camera punching a patient with a blow that killed him instantly.
The incident took place in the southern city Belgorod on December 29 but the investigation was opened only days later after security-camera footage appeared on YouTube and was aired on national television. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-si0d3rSPo)
In a statement on January 9, Belgorod's Investigative Committee confirmed the incident occurred on December 29, but gave no explanation for the delay in investigating the crime.
The statement said the doctor -- identified as hospital surgeon Ilya Zelendinov -- was suspected of causing death through negligence, for which he could serve up to two years in jail.
In the video, the doctor in medical clothing drags the male patient from the examination table and asks him "Why did you touch the nurse?" before pushing him out of the doorway.
The patient returns but the doctor throws a single blow to his face, sending the man falling backwards onto the floor.
The doctor continues to scuffle with another man accompanying the patient.
Minutes later, the medics notice the patient lying motionless and unsuccessfully try to revive him.
The patient was identified as 56-year-old Yevgeny Bakhtin.
