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79 Arrested in Ethnically Charged Mass Street Fight

A mass fight between citizens of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan resulted in dozens of arrests, with at least one person hospitalized.

Police responded to a caller Sunday evening just before 6 p.m. who said a group of aggressive people with "Asian appearances" had gathered near 16 Olimpiisky Prospekt, Moscow police said in a statement on their website. Police made 79 arrests for disturbing the peace.

One 20-year-old Kyrgyz man was sent to the hospital with head injuries but was released after refusing treatment.

Police also received a call from a hospital that said a 21-year-old man with an Asian appearance had come in with a knife wound to the stomach, though whether or not he received the wound during the fight was not immediately known.

The police said they had preventative discussions with those detained before releasing them.

No reason for the fight was released, and an investigation of the incident is still being completed.

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