The man who allegedly perpetrated the attack has been identified as Sergei Batrin, an MP who represents Ukraine’s Servant of the People Party, of which Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky is a member. In a shocking video, Batryn, 54, can been seen walking into a meeting of the Keretskyi village council in Mukachevo district, then leaning his back on the door to prevent it from opening. He then reaches his hands into his pockets and pulls out three live F1 grenades, removes the pins, and tosses them onto the floor, where they explode. According to the National Police of Ukraine, 26 people were injured, six of whom are in serious condition. Though initial reports claimed Batryn died in the incident, police said doctors were working to resuscitate the man who detonated the grenades. The motive behind the attack is still unclear, according to RT, which quoted a local outlet as saying 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 former employee of the office of the president said, “According to information that requires clarification, he served in a brigade, received a disability, sought social assistance, including for himself.” Local media outlet Transcarpathia 24 says just prior to the explosions, Batryn argued with colleagues over the allocation of a 50 percent surcharge to the village, as well as an exorbitant monthly premium. After his colleagues dismissed his statements, he left with another deputy and returned two minutes later with three grenades. Investigators have charged the MP for explosives-related offenses (illegal handling of weapons, combat supplies or explosives), as well as under Ukraine’s Terrorism Act, according to a separate statement from police. Batryn faces up to 10 years in prison, if convicted. RT added that a similar incident occurred last month in Ukraine, when Major Gennady Chastyakov, an aide to the country’s top general Valery Zaluzhny, was killed in a grenade explosion while celebrating his birthday.More than two dozen people were injured and one killed after a Ukranian deputy detonated grenades during a session of a rural council meeting.
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