Ethnic violence and racism divide Moscow

[pampango]

Xenophobic attacks have been on the rise in Russia for a number of years now, and Yevgeni Volk from Moscow's Yeltsin Foundation says the government is losing its grip on the ultra-nationalists.

"It's really clear that the ultra-nationalist forces, which were explicitly supported by the government for many years as a counter balance to the democratic opposition, have really increased their clout in the country," he told Deutsche Welle. "Now it looks like the government has lost control of these radical xenophobic forces inside Russia. I believe it's really a very dangerous phenomenon which could backfire on the authorities themselves."

"I think a strategy, but the strategy is too weak and is not effective enough," Alexander Rahr from the German Council on Foreign Relations told Deutsche Welle. "A lot of words and no real deeds."

Rahr added that frustration in Russia about worsening economic and social problems, as well as a feeling of helplessness by those in the lower class about their ability to change things, translates into aggression. "That is now being directed toward migrants, who are being blamed for all these shortcomings in the economic and social system," he said.

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,14729793,00.html