Racism and xenophobia 'on the rise' in Russia

Racism and xenophobia are growing at an alarming rate in Russia, rights groups said today, problems fuelled by economic hardship and what they say is the government’s failure to come up with a plan for reducing ethnic tensions.

A study conducted by the Moscow Bureau of Human Rights said 10 people have been killed and another 200 victimised by hate crimes in the first half of 2005. The number of fatal attacks is nearly three times higher than last year, the study found.