Dangerous discovery during autopsy: Grenade found in soldier’s body in Chernivtsi
11 March 20:19
During the autopsy of a deceased Ukrainian soldier in Chernivtsi, forensic experts discovered an unexploded grenade inside his body. The body was transferred to Ukraine from Russia as part of an exchange of the deceased. This was reported by Viktor Bachynsky, head of the Chernivtsi Regional Bureau of Forensic Medical Examination, in a comment to Suspilne, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
After the explosive device was discovered, morgue employees were urgently evacuated, and the ammunition was defused by specialists.
How the grenade was found during the autopsy
The incident was reported by Viktor Bachynsky, head of the Chernivtsi Regional Bureau of Forensic Medical Examination.
According to him, the forensic expert was performing a standard autopsy procedure.
First, the following were examined:
- the cranial cavity
- the chest
When the expert began examining the deceased’s limbs, an unexploded grenade was suddenly discovered under the skin.
“When the expert began the autopsy, he opened the cranial cavity and chest cavity, reached the limb, and began to cut it open, he found an unexploded grenade under the skin,” Bachynsky explained.
How the ammunition ended up inside the body
According to preliminary conclusions by experts, the grenade entered the body through the abdominal cavity.
It:
- passed through the body
- moved inside the tissues
- stopped under the skin of the right thigh
In other words, the explosive device remained active throughout the entire autopsy procedure.
The morgue was evacuated, and the grenade was destroyed
After the dangerous discovery:
- morgue employees were evacuated
- pyrotechnicians were called to the scene by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine
Specialists removed the grenade and transported it to a special training ground, where it was destroyed by controlled detonation.
Similar cases have occurred before
According to Bachynsky, while working with bodies transferred as part of an exchange, forensic experts sometimes find explosive objects.
However, in the past, they were usually found
- in pockets
- among the personal belongings of the deceased
Cases where a grenade was found directly inside a body were extremely rare.
Why the explosives were not found immediately
Usually, before the autopsy, the body is additionally checked by pyrotechnics from the State Emergency Service. This is done precisely to prevent such incidents.
However, this time, the explosive device was not found during the preliminary examination.
The exchange of bodies of the deceased continues
The incident occurred against the backdrop of large-scale repatriation operations.
In particular, on February 26, Ukraine returned 1,000 bodies of the deceased as part of an exchange with Russia. According to preliminary data from the Russian side, these remains may belong to Ukrainian military personnel.
Experts must now identify and establish the circumstances of each death.
