Nun killed in Ukraine bomb blast

The explosion at the church took place on the last day of a visit to Ukraine By Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill that has been hotly disputed by nationalists. It was not clear if the events were linked.

The woman, named as nun Lyudmila, was taken to hospital in a serious condition after the blast and doctors were unable to save her, said civic health official Nadezhda Sevalneva according to local media.

The building belongs to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which is under the Russian patriarchate in Moscow. The church operates in Ukraine alongside dissident Orthodox confessions, with which it has tense relations.

A criminal investigation has been opened into premeditated murder, local media said. Deadly explosions are extremely unusual in Ukraine.

Local police said that the damage to the church caused by the blast was not significant and the device appeared to have been homemade.

Kirill's week long visit to Kiev, Odessa and other Ukrainian cities had sparked small-scale protests led by nationalist parties like UNA-UNSO and Svoboda.