The governor of the northern Russian province which has been the scene of racial violence in recent days has blamed migrants from the Caucasus for the unrest. The riots followed the killing last week of two local men in a restaurant. This report from James Rodgers:

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His remarks are likely to be welcomed by those in the town of Kondopoga who want all Caucasians expelled. Last week, two local men were killed in a brawl. At the weekend hundreds of youths - who blamed migrants for the deaths - went on the rampage attacking businesses belonging to traders from the Caucasus.

There are signs that the tension is spreading to other parts of the region. On Tuesday night, supporters of far-right movements held a rally in the nearby town of Petrozavodsk. White supremacist groups in Russia have openly encouraged attacks on non-Slavs in recent years. There have been countless beatings, and several deaths - but the numbers involved in the latest unrest appear unprecedented in the country in modern times.

James Rodgers, BBC News, Moscow

Listen to the words

migrants
people who move to live from one place to another

unrest
disturbance, uproar, fighting

spread
affect more places

totally inexcusable
such that absolutely cannot be forgiven

expelled
forced to leave

a brawl
a noisy fight in a public place

went on the rampage
showed violent behaviour, started a fight

held a rally
had a mass meeting of supporters

supremacist
advocating that someone's status is above someone else's

unprecedented
such that have no similar previous examples

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