A foreign contract hitman has been killed by special police forces in Chechnya's Shatoy region, according to the head of Russia's Interior Ministry, Rashid Nurgaliyev. He said the killer had connections with an international network of terrorist organisat

Nurgaliyev said the killer's connections with terrorist organisations have been established in the course of preliminary investigation.
 
He also mentioned in the last four years the number of terrorist attacks in Russia has been reduced 15 times, partly due to the work of police.

Also on Wednesday a policeman was killed and three others injured in a shoot-out with militants in Chechnya. The incident occurred in the republic's Shatoy region, where the group was spotted.

One of the militants is reported shot dead, while others involved in the shooting managed to escape. The search for them continues.

The three policemen injured are now in hospital undergoing medical treatment.