Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin called for a tough response to xenophobia on Thursday - a day after another set of violent clashes between ultra-nationalists and immigrant groups shook Moscow, according to dpa. "There has to be order," Putin said during a television broadcast. Every form of radicalism has to be prevented, the premier added. Street battles unfolded across the capital and in other cities on Wednesday, leading to the arrests of 1,700 people across the country. Tensions had been rising in Russia for days, after suspects stemming from the Caucasus were alleged to have recently shot a Russian football fan. In the capital alone, 1,300 people were detained on Wednesday by thousands of security forces deployed to counter the skirmishes between extreme right-wing groups and Caucasian nationals. Putin called for an end to the violence. "We all are children of one country," he said. It is important "that Caucasians are not afraid to go onto the streets of Moscow, and that citizens of Slavic nationality are not scared of living in the North Caucasus," he added. Putin's statements came in response to the first question posed during his yearly television dialogue with Russian citizens.
