A suicide bomber today detonated explosives beside a police car in the capital of Russia's southern republic of Chechnya.
Quoting unnamed security agency sources, Interfax news agency said two policemen had been killed. RIA news agency said six people were hospitalised with injuries but there were no fatalities.
An eyewitness said a young woman had approached the police car and blew herself up. Others said there had been three policemen in the car at the moment of the explosion.
A mangled, burnt-out carcass was all that remained of the police car at an intersection in Grozny's usually bustling centre, a Reuters reporter said.
A passenger minibus with shattered windows was seen nearby.
It was unclear if there were casualties in the blast. Officials could not be immediately reached for comment.
Russia has fought two wars against Chechen separatists since the early 1990s. A series of attacks on security forces and local leaders over recent months have shattered several years of relative calm that followed those wars.
Leaders from across the North Caucasus warned Russian president Dmitry Medvedev last month that they were struggling to contain an Islamic insurgency that they said had permeated all spheres of society.
Reuters