Russia: Few Options to Redress Ethnic Tensions

Moscow has always struggled to manage Russia's minority populations, but recently the issue has garnered more attention as regional elections approach. Over the past week, Russian police detained nearly 2,000 immigrants around Moscow as part of a response to ethnic clashes throughout the country. What began with confrontations between police and Dagestanis quickly turned into widespread demonstrations directed against immigrants and other non-ethnic Russians. The ethnic unrest prompted the Federal Migration Service on Aug. 5 to propose creating a nationwide network of detention facilities that would hold foreigners awaiting deportation. Russia will continue to contend with such demographic issues as its ethnic and economic composition continues to change.