Politician Detonates Grenades in Village Meeting Tragedy Captured on Video

Serhiy Batrin is the Ukrainian politician who is accused of detonating three grenades during a December 15 village council meeting, injuring 26 people, according to Ukrainian media reports, including RBC-Ukraine.

You can watch the video below, but be forewarned that it is disturbing. Novaya Gazeta Europa described the suspect as a “local politician.”

Batrin is “a deputy from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Servant of the People party,” that site reported, adding that the motive is not yet clear. The blast occurred inside a municipal building, according to Novaya Gazeta. Daily Mail referred to Batrin as a “council representative.”

The National Police of Ukraine released a statement on Facebook, saying that “26 people were injured as a result of the incident, 6 of whom are in serious condition. Medics perform resuscitation on the man who blew up grenades.”

“In Transcarpathia in the building of the keretskívs . . . [a] village council deputy blew up grenades,” the police wrote.

Here’s what you need to know:

The Video Shows the Deputy Dropped the Grenades One at a Time Before a Large Explosion Erupts

In the video, a council meeting is unfolding in a small meeting room, as people talk animatedly. Officials sit at a table across from the audience, members of whom are sitting in chairs facing them.

Novaya Gazeta reported that Batrin said, “Can I say something?” before detonating the grenades.

The man identified as Batrin enters the room and stands in front of the door before pulling out grenades and dropping them one by one. They explode in a fiery blast and people’s screams and comments are then heard. Daily Mail translated their comments as “My legs, I can’t walk . . .my legs are cut,” and “call the ambulance” and “pull me out.”

According to the news site RBC Ukraine, the explosion occurred in Zakarpattia, “during a session of the Keretskivska village council.” The man with the grenades was described as “a deputy.”

Daily Mail reported that Batrin worked “in the village council’s law and order commission” and was opposed to the “ruling faction on the council,” having recently expressed anger “over water problems in the village when a large sum was paid to the director of the utility company.” According to Daily Mail, the act is not believed to be connected to the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Ukrainian Police Say the Man Who Dropped the Grenades Was the Only Person Who Died in the Blast

Ukrainian policeThe scene of the Ukrainian grenade blast.

“Today, at 11:37 p.m., a message was received on the ‘102’ line that one of the deputies blew up grenades in the building of the Keretsky Village Council of Mukachiv District during the session,” the police wrote in their statement.

“According to preliminary information, the explosion killed one person, the bomber himself, and 11 others were injured,” police continued, adding that the investigation is continuing.

However, RBC-Ukraine later said police indicated that 26 people were injured with some in critical condition, so it’s not clear whether anyone has died.

The Ukrainian site Big Mir.net reported that “Primary investigative actions are ongoing. Medics are performing resuscitation measures on the man who detonated the grenades.”

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