Two Russian embassy staff were killed on Monday in a blast near the country's diplomatic mission in Kabul, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

Earlier, state-owned news agency RIA reported that a diplomat and an embassy security guard had been wounded in an apparent suicide bombing.

Afghan police said earlier that a suicide bomber had detonated explosives near the entrance to the Russian Embassy in Kabul, adding the attacker was shot dead by armed guards as he approached the gate. (Reporting by Reuters)