BALAKLAVA, Crimea (Reuters) - A quadruple amputee whose limbs were blown off by a grenade while serving in the Russian army dived this week to a depth of 30 meters (100 ft) in the Black Sea.

Dmitry Pavlenko carried out the dive off the coast of the Crimean peninsula on Thursday.

“I can say here that I have raised my bar and done more than I probably ever can,” Pavlenko said. “I have broadened my horizons and that is very important for me.”

Pavlenko was accompanied by other divers including Dmitry Knyazev, a scuba instructor who helped organize the event.

“This project not only sets a certain bar for such achievements, it also encourages other people to follow, it shows them that their abilities are higher they may have thought before today,” Knyazev said.

The Crimean peninsula was annexed by Russia in 2014 and has been effectively integrated into Russia, although it is widely recognized internationally as Ukrainian territory.