A gang of 13 suspected neo-Nazis have gone on trial for mass murder in Russia.
The group, accused of killing 27 people, also face other charges including attempted terrorism and inciting ethnic hatred.
Authorities allege the defendants are members of the National-Socialist Society, established in 2004 with the aim of turning Russia into a Nazi state.
Operating mainly in the Moscow region, police say the skinheads targeted foreign nationals and ethnic minorities, with reports one anti-Nazi activist was stabbed 30 times by members of the gang as part of an initiation test.
Russia has seen a wave of racially motivated crimes since the collapse of the former Soviet Union. The ultra nationalist faction, banned two years ago, regularly organised combat training for members and published its own newspaper in a bid to spread its extreme ideology.
EuroNews
