Chechen and Kabardin students clashed over the weekend in Nalchik, capital of the internal Russian republic of Kabardino-Balkaria, according to a September 24, 2005 article in the national daily Kommersant. Tensions between youths from both ethnic groups have been present in the city since at least two years ago, when an anti-Chechen riot led to over 50 injuries.

The current clash was sparked by a confrontation at a movie theater the previous Thursday which ended without any injuries. On September 23, however, the conflict escalated. Relatives of the Chechen students arrived from Chechnya and went looking for Kabardin students. The confrontation ended in a mass brawl with around 100 participants on each side. Police made several arrests. Later that day, crowds of Kabardins gathered outside government buildings demanding that Chechens be expelled from the republic. Some charged that the Chechen relatives who came to Nalchik were “Kadyrovtsy” (pro-Russian Chechen paramilitary soldiers).

Mosvar Ibragimov, minister for nationalities issues in the pro-Russian administration of Chechnya, journeyed to Nalchik to meet with local officials in response to the violence. He characterized the clash as typical youth violence having nothing to do with inter-ethnic animosity.

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