Ukraine: Man dies after device detonated at Kyiv court

A man has died after he set off an explosive device at a courthouse in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko has said.

Igor Humeniuk, who was detained in 2015 after an attack on Ukraine's parliament, detonated the device after barricading himself in a toilet.

There were reportedly two further explosions as he tried to escape, and police attempted to stop him by shooting in the air.

Two officers were injured in the blast.

The exact circumstances surrounding the incident are unclear, but Humeniuk's hearing at the Shevchenkivskyi courthouse was not linked to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The general prosecutor's office said that a man detonated an explosive device as he attempted to "escape from custody" when he was in a toilet.

Following the initial explosion, another explosive device was thrown at two policeman, who were wounded as they stormed the grounds. They were later taken to hospital and are in a stable condition.

"Their lives were saved by their shields," Mr Klymenko said.

How Humeniuk actually obtained explosives at the courthouse is unclear, but officials said the incident will now be the subject of criminal investigation.

Details are still being established, but Humeniuk may have died after inadvertently stepping on the explosives, Mr Klymenko told reporters.

Footage shared by Reuters news agency showed ambulances arriving at the courthouse, with police clearing a path for them.

Other videos circulating on social media showed one person being carried away from the scene on a stretcher.

He was blamed for throwing a grenade during a demonstration against plans to give more autonomy to the Ukraine's Russian-backed separatist regions.

The 2015 blast left three members of the national guard dead and more than 140 people injured. He denied throwing the grenade at the time.