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Two Father Christmases left children in tears as they brawled in the street in Odessa.

Witnesses say the battle began when a little girl posed for a photograph with the older Santa Claus under a Christmas tree.

A second younger Santa — known in Ukraine as Grandfather Frost — then approached, ordering his competitor to “leave at once”, according to local reports. The older Santa, a martial arts enthusiast in his fifties, instead decided to stay and fight.

The girl, her mother and other bystanders looked on in horror as the Santas traded blows and four-letter expletives in earshot of children.

A local source said: “There is good money to be made for Santas posing under the tree with passing children at this time of year.

“This looks like a mafia dispute over territory between the fighting Frosts, and as a result they have destroyed the seasonal magic for the children who saw this.”