An illegal immigrant from Russia who was caught on camera cold-cocking a biotech CEO in Charleston, S.C., won’t step foot on U.S. streets again after Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained him.
Vadim Nikolaevich Uliumdzhiev, an Uber driver, was charged with assault and battery after being caught on video getting out of his Audi SUV, then headbutting and punching Bryan Kobel, who went unconscious.
Vadim Nikolaevich Uliumdzhiev, a criminal illegal alien from Russia, illegally crossed the southern border near near San Ysidro, California, on December 4, 2022, and was RELEASED into this country by the Biden administration.
This illegal alien has been charged with assault and… pic.twitter.com/6viK1nsEzX
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) August 26, 2025
According to Kobel, Uliumdzhiev took issue with Kobel having his service dog with him in the Uber ride.
Now, Kobel is suing Uber.
“You would have assumed, as I had up until that date, that they do background checks, they vet these individuals, that they have a stringent process that’s difficult to evade,” Kobel told Fox News on Tuesday. “And apparently that’s not the case.”
Kobel said his Uber account was suspended while Uliumdzhiev kept driving for the company.
Uliumdzhiev was arrested and released on bond, but then detained by ICE, Fox News reported.
According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Uliumdzhiev entered the U.S. illegally at the California border on December 4, 2022, but was then released during the Biden administration.
“Under [President Donald] Trump and [Secretary Kristi Noem], if you break the law, you will face the consequences. Criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the U.S,” DHS said on X.
Uber told Fox News: “There is no place for violence on the Uber platform. While we can’t comment on pending litigation, Uber is deeply committed to safety and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations around worker eligibility.”
