Video shows Ukrainian council member throw grenades at village meeting; dozens injured
A village council member in Ukraine walked into a crowded meeting room and threw hand grenades, injuring more than two dozen people, reports say.
Video shared by the National Police of Ukraine on Telegram shows the local council member, who has not been identified, walking into the meeting room as a heated discussion was taking place. He pulled three hand grenades from his pockets, released the safety pins one by one and tossed them on the floor.
Explosions followed a few seconds later, prompting terror and screams from people sitting in the meeting room.
MORE: War crime charges filed against Russian soldiers accused of torturing an American in Ukraine
Police said 26 people were injured, including six who "are in grave condition." Initially, police said the man who threw the grenades died, but they later clarified that doctors were working to resuscitate him.
Council member in Ukrainian village throws grenades at town meeting (National Police of Ukraine via Storyful)
Police didn’t say what prompted the act of violence, which happened in the western Ukrainian village of Keretsky, "away from the front lines," The Telegraph reports. According to Barron’s, many Ukrainians have more access to weapons amid the country’s war with Russia.
MORE: Putin, in four-hour press conference, gives rare details on war in Ukraine
The attack came a day after Ukraine got a green light to start sped-up talks on joining the European Union. That’s a big boost for war-ravaged Ukraine and a loud message to Russian President Vladimir Putin — but it could be years before the country actually becomes a member of the EU.
Ukraine is one of several countries that have long wanted to join the EU, seeing it as a path to wealth and stability. While the EU is not a military alliance like NATO, membership in the bloc is seen by some as a rampart against Russian influence.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has said he will block Ukraine’s efforts to become an EU member.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.