A series of blasts in Transcarpathian Region injured 26 people, according to authorities
At least two dozen people have been injured in a series of blasts during a session of a rural council in western Ukraine, officials have said, adding that the suspected perpetrator was a local deputy who brought grenades to the meeting.
Initially, Ukraine’s National Police said on Friday that a blast at the Keretsk village council in Mukachevo district, Transcarpathian Region had claimed the lives of two people – one of whom was the man who brought the explosives – while 11 others were injured. Later, however, it updated the information to say that 26 people had been wounded, noting that six of them were in serious condition.
Police also said that emergency services “were performing resuscitation measures on the man who detonated the grenades,” adding that law enforcement operatives and forensic experts were working at the scene.
Local news portal Mukachevo.net identified the alleged culprit as Sergey Batryn, an MP representing the Servant of the People party, of which Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky is a member.
WARNING: DISTURBING VIDEO
The National Police also released a full, although heavily censored, video of the incident. The clip shows a small room with several seated people engaged in a heated debate. A man dressed in black enters through a door, closes it, and then leans against it.
Moments later, he slowly removes at least three grenades from his pockets, pulls the pins, and casually drops them on the floor in front of those present. A series of powerful blasts follow, engulfing the room in thick smoke, with several people heard screaming.
A photo of the scene released by police shows the aftermath of the bombing, with the room completely devastated and bloodstains everywhere.
The exact motive behind the incident remains unclear. However, Ukrainian media outlet Strana reported that Batryn had recently been highly critical of local officials, accusing them of failing to address people’s problems while rewarding themselves with lavish cash bonuses.
A similar incident took place in Ukraine last month, when Major Gennady Chastyakov, an aide to the country’s top general Valery Zaluzhny, died in a grenade blast while celebrating his birthday. According to Ukrainian authorities, the deceased officer was given a box of explosives as a gift, and apparently did not take them seriously despite having been warned that the grenades were fully operational.
