Moscow, Aug 19 (IANS/RIA Novosti): The best way to defend yourself from a shark attack is to poke them in the eyes and gills, Russian emergency officials have warned swimmers.

"If a shark is trying to attack you, fight it off with anything at hand. Aim for the eyes and gills," an emergencies ministry statement said after two shark attacks were reported in the coutry's far eastern region.

However, the best protection against sharks is not to swim or even step into the water, "especially if there are fresh cuts or lesions on your body," the advice said.

On Thursday, a shark attacked a 16-year-old boy near Zheltukhin island. The teenager suffered injuries to his legs and was taken to a hospital in Vladivostok.

"The young man's flippers and wetsuit saved him from death. Some 20 metres off the coast, the shark grabbed the man's legs, but the wetsuit served as a protective covering," doctors said.

On Wednesday, a 25-year-old man lost both hands during a shark attack in Telyakovsky Bay near Vityaz village in the eastern Primorye territory.

Russian scientists said they were baffled as to why the attacks were taking place in the far eastern region, as aggressive sharks were not usually found there.