Elizabeth O.
26 Injured As Ukrainian Councillor Detonates Grenades In Village Meeting
According to Telegraph, a man, identified as Serhii Batryn, 54, was filmed on Friday morning taking grenades out of his jacket and casually tossing them onto the floor.
A number of explosions followed, leaving the room filled with smoke and bodies lying on the ground as the live stream continued to broadcast.
Batryn from the party ‘Servant of the People’, which was founded by Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, is said to have feuded with fellow councillors in the village of Keretsky, western Ukraine, about a pay increase for the council’s leader.
Other reports suggested he was unhappy with the village suffering water issues while the head of a utility company is paid handsomely.
He had rowed in the meeting before leaving and returning with grenades, the Kyiv Independent reported.
Police said six people had been taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries and that the Ukrainian secret service has opened a terrorism investigation.
They initially said the councillor had died, but later clarified that doctors had resuscitated him.
A police statement read, “As a result, 26 people were wounded, six of whom are in a grave condition.”
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