Ukrainian Politicians Fight In Violent Brawl On Parlaiment Floor (VIDEO)

Fists flew Wednesday as Ukraine's newly elected parliament devolved into an all-out brawl between government supporters and opposition lawmakers, the Associated Press reports.

A parliamentary session had only just begun Thursday when a group from the opposition swarmed the body's podium. According to the AP, lawmakers wrestled with each other and some deputies were knocked over as anger over the controversial practice of voting in place of absent peers boiled over.

As the lawmakers attempted to jump onto the podium, an intrepid photographer captured an impressive snapshot that appears to show a government supporter punching a charging opposition lawmaker in the crotch.

The Wall Street Journal’s Tom Gara tweeted that it was “maybe the most vigorous punch to the groin ever caught on camera.”

Look at that picture closely: perfect technique, full extension, putting his back into it, connects at the apex of the punch for max force.

— Tom Gara (@tomgara) December 12, 2012

The brawl happened two months after a contentious election that has been disputed, according to the Kyiv Post. Supporters of the country's high-profile opposition leader, imprisoned former-Premier Yulia Tymoshenko, came to the government meeting wearing black jerseys with her portrait on the front and the phrase "Freedom to Political Prisoners" emblazoned on the back.

World heavyweight boxing champion Vitaly Klitschko -- who heads the opposition UDAR (Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reforms), or "Punch" party -- did not join in the brawl, The Telegraph notes.

He joked to the Ukrainska Pravda newspaper that his punches would be too dangerous, according to USA Today.

"I understand that many people want Klitschko to launch an offensive but I would like to remind (them) that, for example, in the United States a boxer's fists are considered weapons and the fists of a world champion are considered nuclear weapons," the fighter said. "We will not use these weapons for now."

Ukrainian lawmakers are no stranger to scuffles, however. In May, a session of parliament debating a bill that would give became Russian equal-language status in some parts of the country turned into a violent confrontation, the BBC reported.

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Deputies of the opposition fight with deputies of the majority for a second time in two days, during the second session of the newly elected Ukrainian parliament in Kyiv on December 13, 2012. Activists from Ukraine's feminist group Femen staged a topless anti-corruption protest on December 12 outside the ex-Soviet country's newly-elected parliament as a fight erupted between lawmakers inside. Ukraine's parliament has seen several physical confrontations in recent years amid bitter confrontation between opposition and pro-government camps. (SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP/Getty Images)
Deputies of the opposition fight with deputies of the majority for a second time in two days, during the second session of the newly elected Ukrainian parliament in Kyiv on December 13, 2012. Activists from Ukraine's feminist group Femen staged a topless anti-corruption protest on December 12 outside the ex-Soviet country's newly-elected parliament as a fight erupted between lawmakers inside. Ukraine's parliament has seen several physical confrontations in recent years amid bitter confrontation between opposition and pro-government camps. (SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP/Getty Images)
Deputies of the opposition fight with deputies of the majority for a second time in two days, during the second session of the newly elected Ukrainian parliament in Kyiv on December 13, 2012. Activists from Ukraine's feminist group Femen staged a topless anti-corruption protest on December 12 outside the ex-Soviet country's newly-elected parliament as a fight erupted between lawmakers inside. Ukraine's parliament has seen several physical confrontations in recent years amid bitter confrontation between opposition and pro-government camps. (SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP/Getty Images)
Deputies of the opposition fight with deputies of majority party during the opening of the newly elected Ukrainian parliament in Kyiv on December 12, 2012. Activists from Ukraine's feminist group Femen staged a topless anti-corruption protest on Wednesday outside the ex-Soviet country's newly-elected parliament as a fight erupted between lawmakers inside. Ukraine's parliament has seen several physical confrontations in recent years amid bitter confrontation between opposition and pro-government camps. (SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP/Getty Images)
Deputies of the opposition sporting jumpers with 'free political prisoners' on the back and a photo of jailed former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko on the front, fight with deputies of majority party during the opening of the newly elected Ukrainian parliament in Kyiv on December 12, 2012. Activists from Ukraine's feminist group Femen staged a topless anti-corruption protest on Wednesday outside the ex-Soviet country's newly-elected parliament as a fight erupted between lawmakers inside. Ukraine's parliament has seen several physical confrontations in recent years amid bitter confrontation between opposition and pro-government camps.(SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP/Getty Images)
Police officers detain a Femen activist protesting in front of the Ukrainian Parliament against the untenability of the newly elected Parliament in Kyiv on December 12, 2012. (GENYA SAVILOV/AFP/Getty Images)
Police officers detain a Femen activist protesting in front of the Ukrainian Parliament against the untenability of the newly elected Parliament in Kyiv on December 12, 2012. (GENYA SAVILOV/AFP/Getty Images)
Femen activists protest in front of the Ukrainian Parliament against the untenability of the newly-elected Parliament in Kyiv on December 12, 2012. (GENYA SAVILOV/AFP/Getty Images)
Femen activists protest in front of the Ukrainian Parliament against the untenability of the newly-elected Parliament in Kyiv on December 12, 2012. (GENYA SAVILOV/AFP/Getty Images)