MOSCOW: Azerbaijanis and Armenians have engaged in a series of fights and violent rampages in Moscow, venting their anger over recent cross-border clashes between the two ex-Soviet nations.

Moscow police said on Saturday they have detained over 30 people on charges of involvement in fights and disturbances. In St. Petersburg, police detained dozens in a bid to prevent another big fight between Azerbaijanis and Armenians.

The clashes between members of Armenian and Azerbaijani communities in the Russian capital follow an outbreak of hostilities on the border between the two South Caucasus neighbours earlier this month. Several days of cross-border shelling left about 20 people dead.

Russian news reports said the spate of violent incidents began when groups of Azerbaijanis beat up Armenians in Moscow early on Friday and later assailed Armenian-owned stores.

In a series of clashes across Moscow that followed, Armenians and Azerbaijanis engaged in fights and attacked each other’s shops and restaurants.

Published in Dawn, July 26th, 2020