Watch: Ukraine Politician Throws Hand Grenades In Town Meeting, Wounding 26

A contentious meeting to discuss a Ukrainian village’s 2024 budget turned to carnage on Friday morning when a politician aligned with President Volodymyr Zelensky dropped hand grenades on the floor, wounding 26 attendees, including himself. The incident took place in the western village of Keretsky — population 4,000 — in mountainous territory near the Hungarian border.

Ukrainska Pravda has identified the attacker as Serhiy Batryn, a member of Zelensky’s Servant of the People Party. Some outlets say he is a member of the Ukraine parliament, while others identify him as a village council member. Citing a Ukraine Telegram channel, the New York Post reports Batryn was arguing that he and colleagues should be allowed to fully report on this year’s budget before the 2024 budget was discussed.

Bartryn is said to have a long-running, contentious relationship with the village chief — and was opposed to a 2024 budget provision awarding the chief a 50% pay raise and monthly bonus for the duration of the war. The heated meeting was almost an hour and a half underway when Batryn left the room with another man, but then returned alone a few minutes later to stand just inside the doorway.