Russian man dies removing offensive sign

A Russian man was killed today when a sign with an offensive slogan exploded as he was trying to remove it from a park in Kaliningrad, police said.

The man was walking his dog in the city of Baltiisk when he noticed the sign and tried to take it down, a duty officer said.

A woman was also hurt and admitted to hospital, he said, but her condition was unclear. The officer would not say what the sign said.

Two similar explosions have hit other Russian cities in recent months, when passers-by tried to remove roadside signs reading "Death to Jews", injuring three people.

Russia’s TVS television said today’s sign bore the last name "Koval" and "unprintable words". The incidents came amid mounting concerns about racist violence around the country.