Ukrainian Councillor Detonates Grenades At Meeting, Injures 26 Persons

Twenty-six persons were injured when a Ukrainian village councillor detonated hand grenades at a meeting, according to a Friday statement from the national police, prompting the opening of a terror probe.

The event happened on Friday morning at the Keretsky village council headquarters, which is located in the hilly Zakarpattia area of western Ukraine.

During a contentious debate, a man in black was seen walking through the door of a council meeting on a police video that was uploaded to Telegram.

The meeting attendees shouted as he took three hand grenades out of his pockets, unfastened the safety pins, and dropped them to the ground, setting off explosions.

“As a result, 26 people were wounded, six of whom are in grave condition,” the police statement said, adding that medics were trying to resuscitate the man who threw the grenades.

Ukraine’s police announced that the Ukrainian Secret Service (SBU) has initiated a terrorism investigation, while the national police have opened a probe into the illicit handling of weapons following the grenade incident. 

A live video shared on social media by the committee revealed the assailant entering more than 1.5 hours into the debate, standing by the door, and subsequently initiating the attack, leading to chaos in the darkened room filled with smoke and injured individuals on the floor. 

The authorities have not disclosed the identity of the man, highlighting the widespread access to weaponry among Ukrainians amid the ongoing conflict with Russia.