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- BBC News World
image source, Hanna Painter Facebook
An X-ray shows how close the grenade was to the Ukrainian soldier’s heart.
The Ukrainian government described as a “lucky scare” the ordeal suffered by a wounded soldier who had a grenade successfully removed from his chest.
The result of the delicate operation was announced by the Deputy Defense Minister, Hanna Maliar, who published on social networks that “not all injuries in the heart area are lethal.”
He added that the grenade was removed under the supervision of two military experts in explosives to try to ensure the safety of the doctors and give directions to prevent it from being detonated.
Maliar said that the operation was carried out by the military surgeon, Andriy Verba, 57, considered one of the most experienced doctors in the Ukrainian army.
image source, Hanna Painter Facebook
Surgeon Andriy Verba shows the grenade following the operation.
during the operation electrocoagulation might not be used, common procedure in heart surgeries to prevent the patient from bleeding, for fear that the electrical current might detonate the grenade.
The fragment of the Russian-made grenade that was lodged in the soldier’s body was four centimeters in diameter and weighed 275 grams.
20 seconds
These types of VOG-type grenades, developed in the Soviet Union in the 1960s, can be used in various types of grenade launchers and have a range of up to 400 meters.
They are usually grenades that explode regarding 20 seconds following being thrown.
image source, Hanna Painter Facebook
These types of grenades were developed in the Soviet Union regarding 60 years ago.
According to Ukrainian forces, they have been used since the start of the conflict in the east of the country in 2014.
What most impresses analysts is how the grenade remained unexploded despite remaining explosive during and following the operation until it was deactivated by specialists.
The identity of the patient has not been revealed and it is only known that he was born in 1994.
“Her condition is stable.“, reported Anton Gerashchenko, adviser to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
“I think this will be a case that will go down in the medical textbooks,” he added.
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