In Chernivtsi, medical examiners made a startling discovery during the autopsy of a soldier’s body returned from Russia: an unexploded grenade.
The body was part of a prisoner exchange with Russia. Upon beginning the autopsy, the forensic expert found the grenade lodged beneath the skin, having penetrated through the abdominal cavity and becoming lodged under the right thigh without detonating.
Following the discovery, the entire medical staff was evacuated, and bomb disposal experts were summoned to the morgue.
“It was transported to a range where it was detonated; otherwise, it could have exploded in the morgue,” said Baczynski.
Baczynski noted that explosives have been previously found in the bodies returned from Russia, typically in clothing pockets, but this marks the first instance of a grenade being located inside a body.
The incident highlights ongoing concerns surrounding the return of fallen soldiers. The latest exchange occurred on February 26, when Ukraine and Russia transferred the remains of numerous servicemen. In that exchange, Ukraine received the remains of a thousand defenders. Earlier, on January 29, another thousand bodies were returned, and on December 19, over a thousand bodies were also reported received, all claimed by Russia to belong to Ukrainian soldiers.
A grenade was found during the autopsy of a soldier returned from Russia in Chernivtsi, marking a first in the discovery of explosives inside a body. This incident underscores the complexities surrounding the ongoing exchanges of fallen soldiers between Ukraine and Russia.