Moscow man killed in 'racist' attack

A Moscow man has been savagely beaten and killed by a gang of around 20 youths, who reportedly had racist motives. The group used knives and baseball bats in the attack, which left another man seriously injured.

The dead man has been identified as 46-year-old Sergey Nikolaev, a Russian citizen from Eastern Siberia, in the Yakutia Region. He was not a Korean or Tajik national as earlier reported.

Sergey Nikolaev's friend, a Tajik national, was taken to hospital. He is currently in a serious but stable condition.

“The killed man was a resident of Moscow, Sergey Nikolaev. He died from the stab wounds at the site of the attack. The young people aged 14-16 had disappeared by the time the police got here. A criminal case has been launched into this event,” Maria Bolotova, Moscow Police Press Service representative, commented. 

The suspects were also reported have been wearing black coats. The weapons and clothes described are characteristic of racist gangs across Russia.

Thirty people have been detained in connection with the killing.

The Interfax agency, quoting a source from law-enforcement agencies, reports a third attack in the district, which left a Kyrgyz national injured.

Previous attacks

If the attack does prove to be racially motivated, it will add to Moscow's rising number of hate crimes.

In June this year, clashes erupted between members of nationalist movements and people of ethnic Asian and Caucasian origin.

Last year, a 20-year-old Muscovite was found guilty of promoting national hatred after bursting into a Moscow synagogue and attacking ten worshippers.

He was sentenced to 16 years in prison for the crime.