Cossack leader dies after being shot

A Cossack leader who was attacked on Tuesday, has died in hospital in Russia's Stavropol region. Andrey Khanin was in a coma since being shot three times, twice in the head, after leaving a sports centre.

He's reported to have been critical of recent developments in the region and been in conflict with local authorities.

A suspect has been detained in connection with the assassination.

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union Cossacks have been recognised not only as a distinct ethnic and cultural entity, but also as a military force which can influence local administration.