Russia to check cars for weapons in terrorist risk regions - decree

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia will begin checks for weapons and explosives in cars in regions of the country with a high terrorist threat level, according to a presidential decree published on Tuesday.

The decree, published on the government's legislative portal, said that "inspections of vehicles using technical means for detecting weapons and explosives" would begin in regions where "a level of terrorist threat has been confirmed".

The Russian government has since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine designated a "yellow" level terrorist threat, which corresponds to confirmed information about a planned terrorist act, in a number of regions that border or are nearby Ukraine.

Russian officials have repeatedly described artillery and air strikes against Russian territory as "terrorism" by Ukraine. Kyiv has traditionally neither confirmed nor denied its role in strikes on Russian territory.

(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Alison Williams, William Maclean)