Man Blows Himself Up On Russian-Ukrainian Border

MOSCOW, Russia -- A man has blown himself up at the Bachevsk checkpoint on the Russian-Ukrainian border, killing himself and injuring two border-guards, on Friday with reference to Sergei Astakhov, an aide to the Chief of Ukraine’s Sate Border Guard Service. The injured border-guards have been rushed to hospital, with their condition said to be grave. According to Astakhov, the incident occurred at 15 minutes past midnight local time, or at 1:15 a.m. Moscow time, when a bus with Moldovan licence plates arrived at the checkpoint. The Ukrainian border-guards checked the IDs of four Moldovan citizens, and then found an unknown man who was hiding in the bus. He was taken to the passport control room and produced a Russian passport, but it was found out that the passport was not his. During the questioning, the man set off an unidentified explosive device at 00:16, or 01:46 a.m. Moscow time. He died in the blast, leaving two border guards injured, Astakhov said. According to the official, an investigation has been launched into the incident. Security has been tightened on the border, and the Bachevsk checkpoint in the Sumy Region has been provisionally closed.