A man allegedly armed with a grenade has taken a police officer hostage in Ukraine. It concerns the second hostage situation in a few days in the Eastern European country.
Police attempted to arrest the man in the city of Poltava on Thursday on suspicion of stealing a vehicle.
The suspect then showed a hand grenade and threatened one of the police officers, a deputy minister on Facebook reports.
After negotiations, the man exchanged his hostage for a higher-ranking police officer.
Then they drove together in a car that had been arranged by the police. The authorities hope they can persuade the hostage-taker to surrender.
Ukraine was also startled on Tuesday by a hostage drama. Then an armed man held people in a bus for hours.