A man pushes a humanoid robot inside a store in Russia; seconds later, the machine assumes a fighting stance and begins to attack. Employees have to rush in to try to restrain it. Strangely, this is not an isolated incident; in recent months, I have shared footage of other humanoid robots advancing on people or displaying violent behavior.

So, what is happening? Are we witnessing mere isolated glitches, or are the robots beginning to occupy our shared spaces revealing a security issue far greater than we imagined? A security camera video from an electronics store in Russia is drawing attention after showing a humanoid robot apparently reacting physically after being pushed by a customer.

The incident took place in Saratov, a city in southwestern Russia. The robot—known as Sayoma, Sema, or by other variations of the name—was used by the store as a sort of technology consultant to interact with customers. In the footage, a man approaches the machine and initially attempts to greet it; shortly after, he places his hand on the humanoid and pushes it. The robot steps back slightly, but then its behavior changes, and it adopts a stance resembling a martial arts pose.

It immediately begins executing a series of high kicks toward the customer. Store employees quickly try to restrain the machine, but even while being held back, the robot continues moving its legs, and one of the blows apparently strikes an employee who was attempting to immobilize it. The sequence lasts approximately 20 seconds; afterward, the behavior abruptly stops, and the humanoid raises its arms into a T-pose.

The customer apparently did not suffer serious injuries, but the video quickly went viral on social media because it gave the impression that the robot had reacted deliberately after being provoked—and that is precisely where there is a significant difference between what appears in the footage and what can actually be confirmed. There is no evidence that the humanoid identified the shove as an act of aggression and decided to attack the man.

It is also unclear whether the system was controlling its movements at the time; according to some media reports, the unit is a Unitree G1—a Chinese humanoid capable of being programmed to perform complex movements, including martial arts sequences. However, the footage does not make it possible to determine whether the behavior observed in the store was executed autonomously, as it is possible for someone to control the robots remotely.

Another possibility is that the shove—or some other interaction—triggered a pre-programmed sequence of movements. There is also the chance that the entire situation was staged for a promotional video for the store itself; this theory gained traction because the establishment's social media account had previously posted humorous videos featuring the same robot.

A specific detail in the footage also drew attention: shortly before the humanoid assumed a fighting stance, an employee appeared to touch the back of the machine, though the video makes it impossible to determine if that contact was linked to the subsequent behavior. This incident comes at a time when manufacturers of humanoid robots are showcasing increasingly rapid and complex physical movements.

Robots such as the Unitree G1 have already been demonstrated performing punches, kicks, and kung fu moves, and even engaging in combat against other machines. While the video recorded in Saratov shows a robot seemingly defending itself against a person, it does not confirm an artificial intelligence malfunction; the footage simply shows a humanoid being pushed and, seconds later, executing a sequence of fighting moves while employees attempt to restrain it.