One policeman has been killed and another wounded in a shooting in Russia's Southern Republic of Dagestan.
The violence erupted when an officer stopped a minibus for a routine check in the capital Makhachkala. As the vehicle was being examined, gunmen drove up and opened fire at the police. The incident happened at about 04:00 Moscow time.
A policeman and a minivan full of passengers have been wounded. Another policeman died of injuries in hospital.
The police are currently searching for the criminals who escaped from the scene. Their car has already been found, Interfax news agency quoted a source in the republic’s law enforcement as saying.
Violence is nothing strange to the Russian south. July has already seen an alleged militant attack in the neighbouring Republic of Ingushetia that killed two Russian soldiers and wounded another seven.
Several days before that, two women and five policemen were injured in a blast in Russia’s Republic of Chechnya.