A Ukrainian local councillor detonated grenades at a village meeting in an alleged row over a wartime pay increase, leaving at least 26 people injured.

The man, named by local media as Serhii Batryn, 54, was filmed on Friday morning taking grenades out of his jacket and casually tossing them onto the floor.

A number of explosions followed, leaving the room filled with smoke and bodies lying on the ground as the live stream continued to broadcast.

Mr Batryn from the party ‘Servant of the People’, which was founded by Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, is said to have feuded with fellow councillors in the village of Keretsky, western Ukraine, about a pay increase for the council’s leader.

Other reports suggested he was unhappy with the village suffering water issues while the head of a utility company is paid handsomely.

He had rowed in the meeting before leaving and returning with grenades, the Kyiv Independent reported.

Police said six people had been taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries and that the Ukrainian secret service (SBU) has opened a terrorism investigation. They initially said the councillor had died, but later clarified that doctors had resuscitated him.

A police statement read: “As a result, 26 people were wounded, six of whom are in a grave condition.” 

Incidents involving grenades are uncommon in Ukraine, but not unheard of. On Nov 19, a grenade exploded in an apartment in Kyiv, killing two people and injuring another.

In the same month, an adviser to the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian military died after a grenade, given to him as a birthday present, exploded.

Maj Hennadiy Chastiakov was showing his son the gifts he had received, which included six grenades. One of them exploded, killing him and seriously injuring the 13-year-old boy.

It comes as untrained civilian volunteers in Ukraine have been armed with rifles and urged by Mr Zelensky to resist the Russian invasion.

Videos and images have recently emerged showing lightly armed, tracksuit-clad men engaging Russian invaders.

Radio stations have issued bulletins on how to manufacture Molotov cocktails and local media outlets have reported that 18,000 rifles have been issued in Kyiv alone.

Military experts have said that the arming of civilians could escalate into a long simmering conflict even if Moscow succeeds in occupying Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities.