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Two people have been injured after an unknown objectexploded in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, on Thursday, police said.

US Defense Secretary James Mattis and leaders from around Eastern Europe gathered in the city to celebrate the anniversary of Ukraine's independence from the Soviet Union.

Read more:Tough talk on Russia as Poroshenko meets Mattis in Ukraine

The blast happened at 14:06 local time(1106 GMT) near the building of the Ukrainian government,police said in a statement.

"A man and a woman received bodily injuries," police said.Investigators and explosion experts were at the scene on Grushevskogo Street.

Local broadcaster 112.ua aired images of a woman lying on the ground.A Ukrainian internet TV outlet shared video from the scene on social media.

Likely the work of hooligans: police

The two wounded people were taken away and officials cordoned off the area, a correspondent forAFP news agency said.

A spokeswoman for the Ukrainian Security Service told AFP that "so far our first version of the blast is hooliganism."

Read more:Could sending lethal weapons to Ukraine bring peace?

Witnesses told broadcaster 112 that the explosive device looked like it was thrown from a passing car.

The head of the National Police, Sergei Knyazev, was on the scene.

aw/sms (AFP, Reuters)

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Explosion in Kyiv as Ukraine marks Independence Day | News | DW ... - Deutsche Welle

The kitchen of The Shelter in Kiev, Ukraine. Lana Yanovska

According to a 2016 poll by

For Igor, who works as a physician, The Shelter has been one of the few places where he can be open about his sexuality. He said he is forced to live a double life, fearing what the repercussions would be of introducing his boyfriend to the colleagues that ask him to bring his wife to dinner.

I would be out of a job, he said. It wouldnt be open discrimination, but they would find a reason to get rid of me because of my homosexuality. The stigma is too big.

Legislation prohibiting discrimination at work based on the grounds of sexual orientation was

Following the Ukrainian Revolution in 2014 which saw the ousting of former President Viktor Yanukovych, along with the countrys break from Russia and its move toward Europe Ukraine adopted an action plan to implement a national strategy for human rights, aimed at developing policies in line with European norms by 2020. Many of these proposals bring LGBTQ rights to the forefront, but only a few have been implemented. The criminal code, most notably, still fails to prosecute hate crimes due to a person's sexual orientation.

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Absence of education aimed at raising awareness of homosexuality has stymied the expansion of LGBTQ rights in Ukraine, a country already deeply ingrained with systemic intolerance lingering from traditional Orthodox values and Soviet mentality.

After the [Ukrainian] Revolution, the situation has not changed much, Olshanskaya lamented, though she did point to the success of recent pride marches held in

The revolution and the continued war in the eastern part of the country has, however, helped The Shelter become a reality, according to Olshanskaya. Funding before 2014 was simply not possible to find," she explained. But the military actions taken in the eastern region allowed Insight to focus on getting internally displaced LGBTQ people out of the country's conflict areas, particularly the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

Transgender people who felt threatened in the [conflict zone] began to contact our organization, and a clear action plan for The Shelter was formed, Olshankaya said. Our funders helped us get people out of Donetsk with their things. We wanted to help people from our own community.

Sixty-five people have lived in The Shelter since it opened in mid-2016, and most of those living there during a visit earlier this month were from the eastern areas of the country where fighting is still taking place.

Slavik Smirnov, a 28-year-old model, arrived at The Shelter in Kiev two months ago from Donetsk. Lana Yanovska

In Donetsk, theyre just trying to survive food and sleep is the first necessity, said Slavik Smirnov, a 28-year-old model who arrived at The Shelter two months ago from Donetsk.

There are lots of gay people in Donetsk, he said. "But its much more relaxed and understanding here in Kiev. Its my home here. My first home since Donetsk. Its a very good start before other life begins.

In April 2016, The Shelter was opened to LGBTQ people living throughout Ukraine not just those from the war-torn eastern area of the country. And as Insight continues to work, without government assistance, to build a better Ukraine for all, those in The Shelter prepare for a brighter future. In the coming months, for example, Litvinov plans to move to Moscow to live with his boyfriend.

Theres not much more homophobia there than in Kiev, he said. Socially, going outside the flat, its exactly the same as here. The only thing is that theres this anti-gay propaganda law.

Russias gay propaganda law was passed in 2013 and bans the promotion of homosexuality to people under 18. It was deemed discriminatory by the European Court of Human Rights earlier this year. A similar law was debated in Ukrainian parliament but withdrawn in 2015.

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Ukrainian LGBTQ Shelter a Home for 'People Who Have Lost ... - NBCNews.com

Poroshenko receives Luik in Kiev, Aug. 24, 2017.

Luik is on a visit to Ukraine to attend events marking the 26th anniversary of Ukrainian independence.

In his meeting with Turchynov, Luik said that Estonia would continue to support Ukraine politically and also in practical cooperation in the field of defense, spokespeople for the Estonian Ministry of Defense said.

Estonia will continue its cooperation with Ukraine in the training of special operations units and in the field of military medicine, and will continue sharing its cyber know-how.

Although we are a small country, we too can help Ukraine by focusing what we have to offer. We believe that support for Ukraine provided by Estonia and other NATO member states is extremely important, Luik said.

Poroshenko said in his meeting with Luik that the war in Eastern Ukraine continued, and that the number of civilian casualties had grown significantly this year. The Ukrainian state wanted peace, for the achievement of which it needed continued the solidarity and unity of its transatlantic partners. The unity of the West had made Russia pay a high price for its aggression, the Ukrainian president said.

Luik described Estonias support of Ukraine as steadfast, and said that it understood very well the strong link between Ukraines fight and its own security. Estonia supported the continuation of the sanctions imposed on Russia, he added.

On Thursday Luik attended the Independence Day parade in Kiev, in which also a four-strong Estonian color guard of the Guard Battalion took part. The color guards officer was the commander of the Guard Battalion, Maj. Martin Kukk, and the flag bearer the head of the battalions ceremony service, 2nd Lt. Sander Karask.

Estonia supports Ukraine in the training of special operations forces and in the field of military medicine. Up to now 64 wounded Ukrainian soldiers have undergone rehabilitation in Estonia. In addition, Ukrainian medics have attended training programs here.

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Luik discusses Ukraine's security situation with Poroshenko, Turchynov - ERR News

This article first appeared on The Daily Signal.

In May 2015, Russia began constructing a planned 11.8-mile bridge across the Kerch Strait, a body of water that sits between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.

The Russian bridge project is meant to connect the Russian mainland with the Crimean Peninsula, the region of Ukraine that Russia illegally annexed in 2014.

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Two weeks ago, Russia announced temporary closures of the Kerch Strait to accommodate bridge construction. The closures have cut off Ukraines southeast coast, including Berdiansk and the strategically important Mariupol, Ukraines 10th-largest city and a key port for exports like Ukrainian steel.

Currently, Russia can only access the Crimean Peninsula by air and sea. The bridge project would create a rail and road link, and further entrench Russias position on the annexed peninsula.

Part of a December 2003 bilateral agreement signed between Russia and Ukraine is a stipulation that mercantile vessels and other state non-commercial vessels flying the flags of the Russian Federation and Ukraine have free navigation in the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait.

Ukraines Deputy Minister of Infrastructure Yuriy Lavrenyuk recently stated that Ukraine would sue Russia over the closure of the Kerch Strait pursuant to the agreement.

People fish on a pier at the port of Mariupol, on the north of the Sea of Azov in eastern Ukraine March 26, 2014. Yannis Behrakis/reuters

While this is not the first time Russias navy has closed the Kerch Strait, it is the latest example of Russias ongoing illegal aggression against Ukraine.

Last September, the U.S. Treasury expanded sanctions on Russia for its illegal annexation of Crimea and specifically targeted companies and individuals associated with the Kerch bridge project. U.S. policymakers should now condemn Russias closure of the Kerch Strait, as well as its ongoing occupation of Crimea.

Working conditions for construction workers employed on the bridge project have been described as slave-like. Some residents of the Ukrainian town of Kerch in Crimea were reportedly expelled from their homes and moved to shabbily built apartments to make way for construction of the bridge and an adjoining highway project.

Despite significant doubts about the economic viability of the bridge, which may cost as much as $5 billion to build, the aggressive timeline to completion (currently scheduled for the end of 2018), as well as the geological suitability of the strait as a site for a bridge, Russia continues to build.

For Russian President Vladimir Putin the geopolitical symbolism of the bridge far outweighs its bloated price tag.

Since the time of Crimeas annexation, almost 5 percent of Ukraines landmass and more than half of its coastline have been under illegal Russian occupation. In addition, Russia has also claimed rights to valuable underwater resources off the peninsula.

Militarily, Russia greatly expanded its military footprint in occupied Crimea, allocating $1 billion to modernize the Black Sea fleet by 2020 and stationed warships equipped with Caliber-NK long-range cruise missiles in Sevastopol. Last August, Russia deployed S-400 air defense systems to Crimea.

Recent reports that the Trump administration is considering sending lethal defensive weapons to Ukraine are promising. Every country has the right to self-defense, and the U.S. should supply these weapons to Ukraine.

However, such a move should be incorporated within a larger strategy for assisting Ukraine. This larger strategy should include the issuance of a nonrecognition statement on Crimea, as well as the condemnation of Russias ongoing illegal actions in Crimea and the Black Sea region, such as Russias closure of the Kerch Strait.

As with Russias 2008 invasion of Georgia, Putin has often found the lazy days of August when many Western leaders are on vacation a convenient month to initiate some new aggression against a neighboring state.

In the case of the closure of the Kerch Strait, American policymakers should make clear they are still watching.

Daniel Kochis is a policy analyst for European affairs at The Heritage Foundation's Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom.

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Has Trump Noticed Putin Has Cut Off Ukraine's Black Sea Ports? - Newsweek

Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine said they will honor a cease-fire beginning with the new school year on August 25.

Separatist leader Denis Pushilin was quoted on the separatists' main news site late on August 23 as saying that his fighters "supported a stable and universal cease-fire along the contact line" in Ukraine's Donbas region.

Martin Sajdik, the envoy for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) on the Ukraine crisis, had earlier confirmed reports that an "indefinite" cease-fire would commence at midnight on August 25.

The OSCE issued a statement saying it "welcomes the recommitment to cease-fire" and called the truce "an encouraging joint, political signal from all signatories" to the 2015 Minsk peace agreement.

The cease-fire was agreed late on August 22 during a phone call between the leaders of Germany, France, Russia, and Ukraine -- the so-called "Normandy Four."

In the call, Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, and French President Emmanuel Macron all voiced strong support for a lasting cease-fire to allow children in eastern Ukraine to attend school at the start of the new term, the Kremlin and Poroshenko's press service said.

Kurt Volker, the U.S. special envoy for efforts to end the conflict in Ukraine, had earlier expressed his support for the proposal in comments to the Baltic News Service as he visited Lithuania on August 22.

The cease-fire for the back-to-school season "seems like a very good idea. We would obviously fully support that and hope the sides could do that," Volker told the news service.

Several cease-fire deals announced as part of the 2015 Minsk accords have failed to hold since Russia-backed separatists seized parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, which border Russia, in 2014.

The United Nations estimates that at least 10,090 people, including 2,777 civilians, have been killed, and at least 23,966 injured since the start of the conflict through May 15, 2017.

The United States and the European Union have imposed sanctions on Moscow for its annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and for its support of separatists in eastern Ukraine.

Volker was joined in Kyiv on August 23 by U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. They will hold meetings with senior Ukrainian government officials to discuss "the next steps in diplomatic negotiations to restore Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity," U.S. officials said.

Mattis is scheduled to attend a parade on August 24 to mark Ukraines Independence Day and to meet with Poroshenko.

Mattis is likely to vow continued nonlethal U.S. support, offering the potential for weaponry considered "defensive" in nature.

Kyiv is expected to push for more lethal weapons, including antitank and antiaircraft weapons, to battle the separatists.

Mattis arrived in Kyiv from Ankara, where he met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other officials. He had earlier stopped in Jordan and made a surprise visit to Iraq.

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Russia-Backed Separatists In Eastern Ukraine Say Will Honor Cease-Fire - RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty