A man has died after he set off an explosive device at a courthouse in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko has said.

Ihor Humeniuk, who was detained in 2015 over an attack close to Ukraine's parliament, detonated the device after barricading himself in a toilet.

Two cops were injured as they attempted to restrain the man after he escaped following a hearing.

It does not appear that the incident is linked to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The exact circumstances surrounding the incident at Shevchenkivskyi courthouse are unclear, but a number of explosions were reported, one of which injured the two officers and another which killed Humeniuk himself.

The police officers were later taken to hospital and are in stable condition.

"Their lives were saved by their shields," Mr Klymenko said.

How Humeniuk actually obtained the explosives is unclear, but officials said the incident will now be the subject of a criminal investigation.

He may have died after inadvertently stepping on the explosives, Mr Klymenko told reporters.

Footage shared by Reuters news agency showed ambulances arriving at the courthouse, with police clearing a path for them.

Other videos circulating on social media showed one person being carried away from the scene on a stretcher.

Humeniuk was attending a hearing related to his involvement in a 2015 attack near the Ukrainian parliament.

He was blamed for throwing a grenade during a demonstration against plans to give more autonomy to Ukraine's Russian-backed separatist regions.

The 2015 blast left three members of the national guard dead and more than 140 people injured. Humeniuk denied throwing the grenade at the time.

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