Explosions in a council chamber in the Transcarpathia 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 council in western Ukraine, officials have said, adding that the suspected perpetrator was a local deputy who brought grenades to the meeting.
◾ Ukrainian Transcarpathia, a local deputy exploded grenades during a session meeting
◾A video of the moment the grenades exploded appeared online – a local deputy of Transcarpathia came to the session, during which he pulled out 3 grenades and blew it up. It is reported that… pic.twitter.com/DrpnRu3aKm
— Zlatti71 (@djuric_zlatko) December 15, 2023
Local police said that emergency services performed “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.
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.
The National Police also released a 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 smeared in blood.
— Zlatti71 (@djuric_zlatko) December 15, 2023
The 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 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.
Editor’s note: Breaking preliminary details below.
Preliminary reasons why Transcarpathian deputy Batrin blew up grenades have become known
Deputies at the session approved the budget for 2024. The media write that Batrin argued very strongly with them – he demanded that the deputies report on the 2023 budget, and then adopt the… pic.twitter.com/EYiyDlc7h4
— Lord Bebo (@MyLordBebo) December 15, 2023
In Transcarpathia Ukraine, the wounded are evacuated after a grenade explosion pic.twitter.com/wY5DdWu6JH
— Lord Bebo (@MyLordBebo) December 15, 2023
Fascinating details about grenade attack. Individual responsible is Ukrainian lawmaker who fought in the war, got disabled, and struggled to access welfare/psychological support upon his return. There’s going to be a lot more of this, soon – not just in Ukraine, but Europe too. https://t.co/VvC5wxUyvY
— Kit Klarenberg (@KitKlarenberg) December 15, 2023
