Russian local news agencies report shooting taking place in or near the Chechnya parliament in restive Grozny. One agency cites law enforcement agencies as saying a suicide bomber had attacked the building.
The Kremlin is struggling to contain a growing Islamist insurgency in the North Caucasus, a strip of impoverished, ethnically mixed provinces along predominantly Orthodox Christian Russia's southern border.
The Kremlin had declared victory in its battle with Chechen separatists, but analysts say a wave of shootings and bombings over recent months shows Moscow has failed to tame the growing insurgency.
Local leaders say it is fueled by desperate poverty, clan rivalries, rampant corruption, Islamism and heavy-handed tactics by law enforcement agencies.
Related links:
* Reuters - Insurgents attack parliament in Russia's Chechnya
* BBC - Chechen parliament 'under attack'
Chechnya Attack | Grozny Attack