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Ukrainian councillor injures 26 after setting off three hand grenades at village meeting

Ukrainian councillor injures 26 after setting off three hand grenades at village meeting

Dozens were injured after a Ukrainian council member threw hand grenades during a meeting.

In a video filmed in Keretsky, western Ukraine, a man walked into a room where the village council were discussing the community’s budget on Friday morning.

He then takes three of the explosives out of his jacket, before pulling the pins out and throwing them to the floor in front of him.

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In a statement, Thranscarpathian region police said 26 people were injured in the blast, with six left in critical condition.

The man who threw the grenades – preliminarily identified as Serhii Batryn – suffered grave injuries and was tended to by medics, police added.

They also said they are treating the incident as a possible terror attack.

Image:
A man throwing one of the grenades in a Ukrainian village council meeting in Keretsky. Pic: National Police of Ukraine.

No confirmation of a motive or on whether the attack was connected to Russia’s war in Ukraine has been given by the police.

Batryn is a council member of Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s, Servant of the People party.

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Regional media outlet Zakarpattia24 reported that Batryn previously clashed with his colleagues about a wartime pay increase for the head of the village council.