Man shoots himself in Russian roulette stunt

A man shot himself in the head with a rubber bullet after a party trick at a Russian wedding went horribly wrong.

In the video, filmed in a café in the Caspian Sea city of Astrakhan last December, a man pulls out a handgun and puts the gun to his head before pretending to pull the trigger. He then invites any other men present to repeat the Russian roulette-style stunt "in honour of the groom".

One man takes him up on the offer and, without any hesitation, pulls the trigger. Another guest can be heard shouting: “Are you mad?” The injured man was taken to hospital while the man who instigated the stunt was arrested. He said: "I wanted to perform my party trick… I expected lots of applause after I did it and never guessed someone would repeat it."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

The victim reportedly suffered brain damage as a result of the rubber bullet entering his skull and has been paralysed. He remains in a serious condition in hospital.