An ethnic Dagestani martial arts fighter was spared jail on Tuesday by a Moscow court that found him guilty of the manslaughter of an ethnic Russian in a case that could fuel protests on the anniversary of nationalist riots.
Rasul Mirzayev
Riot police were on alert after the ruling and restricted access to Manezh square, scene of Moscow’s worst ethnic violence in post-Soviet history on December 11, 2010.
Police detained several nationalists outside the court where some were shouting chants urging people to gather in Manezh square again, RBC news agency said.
The violence in 2010 was triggered by a killing of soccer fan Yegor Sviridov by a group of migrants from the Northern Caucasus, which includes Dagestan, and nationalists are planning rallies on the anniversary.
President Vladimir Putin is facing a difficult balancing act between rising Russian nationalism and the interests of national republics with large ethnic diasporas in big cities.
Some analysts regard radical nationalism as the single biggest threat faced by the country, which is home to more than 160 distinct national and ethnic groups.
Professional fighter Rasul Mirzayev, who fought under the name “Black Tiger”, killed ethnic Russian Ivan Agafonov in August 2011 in a brawl outside a Moscow night club.
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