A blast in the southern Russian province of Ingushetia on the border of Chechnya has killed at least one man and wounded three more, including the local prime minister.
A spokesman for Ingushetia's emergency services said Prime Minister Ibrahim Malsagov's car had been damaged by a bomb blast in the centre of the region's key town of Nazran.
He said Mr Malsagov (44) and three other people were rushed to hospital, where the premier's security guard died. Russian news agencies said Mr Malsagov's wounds were not life-threatening.
Interfax news agency quoted a senior police official as saying there had also been an earlier, smaller explosion intended to divert the security forces' attention.
Police gave no indication as to who may have been behind the blasts, the second such incident in four days. On Monday, one person was killed and another two injured when a bomb went off near Nazran's main hospital.
Itar-Tass news agency quoted the head of Ingushetia's Interior Ministry as saying criminal elements opposed to the regional administration were to blame.
But others pointed the finger at separatist guerrillas in neighbouring Chechnya, who have been fighting Russian rule for 10 years.
The explosion came a week before the anniversary of the Beslan school siege.