Ethnic Tensions High In Central Russia After Deadly Scuffle

Tensions remain high in the town of Pugachyov in Russia's Saratov region as hundreds of people scuffle with police in the town square. The root of the unrest is the weekend stabbing death of former Russian paratrooper Ruslan Marzhanov, allegedly by an ethnic Chechen teenager. Following Marzhanov's funeral on July 7, hundreds of residents have poured into the streets daily to call for the expulsion of ethnic Chechens and other North Caucausus natives. According to local media reports, about 50 people temporarily blocked the highway from Volgograd to Samara on July 8. (Reuters)