Russia says employees of its embassy in Ukrainian capital are being held by Kyiv authorities on weapons charges and is demanding their immediate release.
In a statement on its website, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Ukrainian authorities had detained embassy employees on August 28 on suspicion of carrying grenades as they were leaving a cafe in Kyiv.
It says the employees, including the personal bodyguard of the Russian ambassador to Ukraine, are being held despite the fact they carry diplomatic passports.
Russian's Foreign Ministry said the incident was a "provocation” and called for the release of the employees, the exact number of whom was not revealed.
There has been no official statement regarding the reported incident by Ukrainian officials.