Ukrainian law enforcement officers lie on the ground behind a car near a passenger bus, which was seized by an unidentified person in the city of Lutsk, Ukraine, on July 21, 2020. REUTERS / Tetiana Hrishyna
KYIV (Reuters) – A man who said he was armed with weapons and explosives took control of a bus in the western Ukrainian city of Lutsk on Tuesday and took about 20 people hostage, police said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Facebook that “shots were heard, the bus was damaged.”
The man’s demands were unknown, police said in a statement.
Television footage showed empty streets cordoned off by people in military uniforms, police cars, and an armored personnel carrier.
“Every effort is being made to resolve the situation without victims. I keep the course of events under personal control, ”said Zelenskiy.
Photos posted on social media showed a small bus parked in the middle of an empty street. Two bus windows were broken and other windows were covered with curtains.
Police said they had blocked the city center.
Pavel Polityuk’s report; Editing by Nick Macfie
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