At least 26 people were left wounded after Ukrainian MP Serhiy Batryn detonated several grenades during a village council meeting in Keretsky on Friday.
The meeting, which was live streamed, was being held to discuss the village’s budget going into 2024. Batryn, who has had a longstanding feud with village chief Mikhail Mushka, called for a report going over how the 2023 budget was used before allocating money for next year. Likewise, Batryn objected a proposed raise and bonus for Mushka, but was reportedly ignored.
Waah! Huyu mbunge wa Ukraine amerushia wabunge wenzake grenade pic.twitter.com/hz3FJ83odT
— Mike Sonko (@MikeSonko) December 15, 2023
Batryn left the meeting briefly and returned with grenades in his hands, asking “May I speak?” before pulling the pins and dropping them. The detonations were caught on camera, as well as its aftermath as attendees called out in pain. There are mixed reports that Batryn was killed in the blasts, but this remains unconfirmed.
Authorities say they are investigating the motive, which remains unclear.