You're reading: Two blasts in eastern Ukraine, threats of more

Two bombs exploded simultaneously in the eastern Ukrainian town of Makiyivka on Thursday and a threat was made of more attacks later in the day, police said.

No one was hurt in the blasts.

The Interior Ministry said unidentified attackers had left a note at the scene of one of the explosions demanding money and warning there would be five more explosions at 5.00 p.m. (1500 GMT). The time passed without incident.

Ukraine’s SBU security service said it was investigating the bombings in President Viktor Yanukovich’s home region of Donetsk.

“Our primary version is that (those behind the blasts) … wanted to get some money,” SBU head Valery Khoroshkovsky told reporters in Makiyivka. But he said authorities had not ruled out “terrorism”.

According to local newspaper Dzerkalo Tyzhnya, the note left at the blast site read: “We are fed up with this government, we want 4 million euros, there are bombs planted in other buildings in the town”.

Police spokesman Ihor Dyomin said the bombs went off at 0400 GMT, one near the building of a coal company and the other at the city’s market.

Ukrainian news agencies said only windows were damaged. Residents appeared unfazed.

“This is not terrorism, this is just a usual property dispute,” said Sergei, 46.

Yanukovich’s office said he had cut short his visit to Japan and would meet law enforcers upon his return.

Last October, three small bombs went off next to government buildings in the Ukrainian city of Kirovograd, hours before a visit by Yanukovich. They did not cause any injuries and the police said they were acts of hooliganism. This month, unidentified attackers used explosives to destroy a monument to Joseph Stalin in the city of Zaporizhya.