Dealing with a toxic friend? [Advice needed]

I’m looking for some honest feedback regarding a friend of mine—though I know only a few of you have the patience for a long read. 🙂

Through a buddy of mine, I met this Norwegian guy about a year and a half ago, and we actually became pretty close friends. Up until now, I’d only been catching glimpses of his true colors, but last night I finally hit my breaking point and decided I’m done hanging out with him. Here’s the deal: while we were standing outside a bar, he started muttering insults under his breath at this guy—an immigrant from Albania—who was just standing there with his girlfriend next to us. This Norwegian dude doesn't even try to hide how much he hates them. But what really gets under my skin—and I mean *really* grinds my gears—is that he says all this crap when he drinks, and last night he wasn't even that hammered.
This isn't some one-off thing, either. Just two months ago, we ended up in a scrap with some guys because they decided to insult him first. We fought, we held our own, and I stood by him.
Then, about two weeks ago, a similar vibe happened inside a pub; he said something to someone, people started staring us down, and we had to bail. Whether someone is drunk or not, it’s no excuse for being a jerk. We left.

Last night, things escalated into a whole different level of mess. There we were, sitting in a booth with three or four of us, when this Norwegian guy shows up with a Russian acquaintance of his—a friend he met a few months back—claiming the Russian had to bail him out of a fight because someone supposedly hit him. We were all caught totally off guard. We were celebrating a birthday, everyone was dressed up in suits, looking sharp... we didn't show up to pick fights. Then this drunk comes stomping in, seemingly trying to apologize. Fine. We have a brief chat, and just as the guy is about to head back, this Norwegian starts "stirring the pot" again, grabbing the guy and dragging him back into the drama. And since he was already tipsy, he just lost it completely. A crowd started forming, and my buddy and I were stuck playing peacemakers, trying to de-escalate the situation.
In the end, I’ll admit, once I realized I couldn't control the chaos anymore, I just tactfully removed myself from the scene. I told the Norwegian straight up that he wasn't keeping his word about listening to me when he drinks, because he keeps causing problems and hurling insults at anyone of Albanian descent.
I walked away, and honestly, a bottle almost flew my way before security stepped in and hauled the drunk guy off.

On the drive home, my buddy and I ended up being the ones looked at sideways, simply because we were trying to break things up instead of jumping in on his side to start a brawl.
The Russian guy actually cornered me, asking what kind of friend I am if I won't defend my buddy in situations like this. But look, this isn't the first time, and I didn't come out tonight to ruin the evening; I just wanted to have a good time.
Now, the Norwegian tells me I look "intimidating" because I’ve got a shaved head, wear suits, and carry my brass knuckles in my pocket—even though I’ve never actually used them. Like, why bother with the tough-guy aesthetic then? Hahahaha! He’s made comments like that a few times. Actually, I *have* used them once, unfortunately. So what? What, am I supposed to pull out my knuckles every single time he decides to pick a fight with someone? I carry them for my own safety, but if he’s going to be out here cursing at random people, what, are we supposed to go to war with half the city?
Look, the Norwegian is a decent enough guy—he’s got his own place, he’s smart, we hang out, girls, private parties, the whole nine yards. But I can't tell if he knows what he's doing when he's sober or when he's wasted. Last time, I couldn't even tell if he was buzzed or totally gone. He’s just filled with this weird, misplaced hatred that he lets out in such bizarre ways. Maybe I don't care for people from that background either, but I’m not going to curse out a guy and his girlfriend who haven't done a damn thing to us. That would just be pathetic, and frankly, embarrassing for me. If I've had a few drinks, it doesn't mean my brain has turned to mush. Anyway, this is the core of the issue, and I’m seriously questioning if it’s worth staying friends with him. Nobody is going to say anything to your face, but you walk into a dark dive bar and you're going to get a knife in the kidney... and then what?

Thanks for reading through this mess, and if any of you have advice, I’m all ears. Cheers!

Forget him. What kind of friend drags you into a fight he started and then acts offended because you won't jump in to defend him?! On top of that, he makes everything awkward by picking fights with people who haven't even done anything to him... being drunk isn't an excuse for any of it. Look, everyone overindulges sometimes, but getting so hammered that you lose all control? That’s stuff you only see in teenagers going through a rebellious phase.
You don't need toxic, aggressive people in your life, and neither does anyone else. If he wants to hang out with his buddy the Russian if they're both just like that, let him. You can definitely find better friends than that.

So, there’s this core group of four friends—well, three of us are tight, and the fourth guy is more of a "fly-in, fly-out" type who shows up when he feels like it or when he's hanging with his girlfriend. But he's a good dude. Now, this fifth guy has crashed the party—this Russian guy everyone seems to adore, but honestly? I feel like we’ve barely known him for three months. If I'm being blunt, I haven't liked him from day one. When we first met, some of my girlfriends were there along with some of his friends, and this Russian guy just... grabs one of them by the ass. Out of nowhere. She was so pissed she grabbed another friend and bolted to another table. It was mortifying for me because it makes our whole circle look like a bunch of creeps. Bottom line: they're sickos. And the Russian? He just laughs it off, says he's going to go kiss her, gets up, grabs her face hard, and plants one on her.
That’s basically how this Russian guy waltzed into our social circle.

But this time around, we couldn't even tell if the Norwegian guy was drunk or just plain out of it. While I was driving, the Russian and the Norwegian actually turned on us because we didn't want to get into a brawl. The Russian tells me he’d kill for this Norwegian guy. Okay, cool, that's your problem. If it happened once, maybe I'd get it, but this is the third time this has gone down—plus, I know how he usually talks trash about other Muslim groups.
Look, I avoid fights and I don't want a black eye, so I'm not exactly a "warrior," but the guy who claims he'll fight your battles for you? He isn't a friend. Violence just breeds more violence. That's playground logic. Unless I'm backed into a corner and have no choice, getting punched in the teeth isn't worth it.
After this weekend, it finally clicked for me: it's time to distance myself from the Norwegian and this newly minted Russian character. They're just 25-year-old kids playing Mafia.

That’s exactly my point—you only fight if you're backed into a corner, but there's zero reason to go looking for trouble. I honestly don't get how anyone finds this stuff entertaining; it isn't funny, it's just dangerous. You'd think by 25 someone would have grown up a bit, but some people just never hit that mental maturity milestone.
You know better than anyone how to handle your own business, and it's stupid of me to even weigh in, but I know exactly what I'd do if I were in your shoes. You'll run into plenty of different people throughout your life anyway; eventually, you just drift away from some of them, meet new crowds, and that's just how it goes.

Look, I only started this thread because I wanted to see what everyone actually thinks about the whole situation. Sometimes you just have to step back and wonder if you’re being the crazy one here.
We've got three people offering fifteen different perspectives—but hey, thanks for the input, Brian Bishop2.
The last time we really knew how much trouble we were in was when we realized that guy used to be the next-door neighbor to this guy. He gave me a heads-up that the guy has plenty of people backing him up, and honestly, if we had actually jumped him, who knows if any of us would have even made it out of that bar alive. Then the Russian chimed in with that classic "so what? You guys are just cowards" attitude, claiming he’s got friends who are way more dangerous than those guys.
Oh man, I can practically hear the ringing in my ears already. It starts with some petty shoving and hurling insults at a Norwegian, and before you know it, the whole thing devolves into a full-blown brawl with knives, clubs, and flying glass bottles...
It’s a total medical mystery—how a group of people can function with absolutely zero brain cells.

The Norwegian is a total coward. He causes chaos first, then drags his friends into the mess
only to scurry away like a rat and expect everyone else to bail him out.🙄
When he starts acting up, just pretend you don't know him. Ignore him. Once people
actually call him out, he won't be looking for trouble the next night.
Don't defend him and end up taking hits on his behalf. Let him face
the consequences alone; that’s the only way he’ll learn from his mistakes.

That Russian guy is actually pretty intense.😂 If there were more guys with his level of confidence,☕
things would be different. Some guys are too scared to even approach a girl, but he just walks up and starts flirting with strangers without a second thought.
Out of a thousand guys trying that, maybe ten will actually land a date, but they'll get lucky.

Cut the Norwegian out of the group. He's a coward who uses his friends for cover.
I wouldn't wait for someone else to teach him a lesson; I'd handle it myself.