A special forces raid in St Petersburg and an attack by gunmen near Moscow have left at least six suspected militants dead, officials say.
Four were killed at a block of flats in St Petersburg, as special forces searched forNorth Caucasus militants.
Later, two gunmen suspected to be from the North Caucasus injured two traffic police officers east of Moscow before being killed by security forces.
Russia has been battling a long and bitter insurgency in the region.
‘Firearms and axes’
Russia’s FSB security service said the St Petersburg raid had been aimed at detaining “wanted persons accused of participating in illegal armed groups in the North Caucasus”.
It added: “Criminals were destroyed by return fire when they attempted to resist.”
