Ukrainian Police Say Verifying Reports Of Several Bomb Threats Amid Presidential Runoff

KIEV (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st April, 2019) The Ukrainian National Police's press service said that it was verifying reports of bomb threats in an airport, a business hotel and two malls in the city of Kharkiv amid the presidential runoff that is being held across the country on Sunday.

"Information that explosives had been planted at the international airport, a business hotel on Independence Avenue, shopping centers on Sumska and the Heroes of Labor streets was received by the police on April 21 at about 13:00 p.m. [10:00 a.m. GMT]," the press service said in a statement.

The police said that investigative groups were working on the sites, while inspection of the facilities and evacuation were ongoing.

Oleksandr Fatsevych, deputy head of the the country's National Police, said that the police were also verifying a report of bomb scare at a polling station in the Donetsk Region. The deputy head noted that an explosives unit of the police was working on the site.

Polling places opened at 8:00 a.m. (05:00 GMT) on Sunday in Ukraine marking the start of the second round of the presidential election. According to opinion polls, conducted ahead of the runoff, incumbent President Petro Poroshenko is supported by about 25 percent of voters, while his opponent Volodymyr Zelenskiy by about 70 percent.