On Monday, November 6, a high-ranking Ukrainian military commander lost his life on his birthday, and his 13-year-old son suffered severe injuries when a present detonated inside their Kyiv residence.
Major Hennadiy Chastyokov, 39, tragically died when live grenades hidden among his gifts from friends exploded, in what was described as a “tragic accident.”
According to a Telegram post from Ukraine’s Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko, Chastyokov began displaying his presents to his family, and his son began inspecting the grenade, leading to the tragic incident. “The son first took the munition in his hand and began to twist the ring,” he wrote. “Then the serviceman took the grenade from the child and pulled the ring, causing a tragic explosion.”
Police stated that the explosion was a result of mishandling ammunition and discovered five more live grenades at Chastyokov’s home. They were able to identify the sender of the deadly gift among Chastyakov’s fellow soldiers, and retrieved two more grenades from the suspect’s residence.