Police in Russia's North Caucasus republic of Dagestan are investigating reports of a mass brawl between dozens of people from two villages, a law enforcement source told RIA Novosti on Monday.
The fight began when around 500 residents of the Khasavyurt region's Kurush and Batayurt villages gathered to clarify the reasons behind a car accident on a nearby highway, which saw three people injured.
Some 30 young people from both villages then clashed, leaving three people in hospital with injuries believed to have been caused by either gas pistols or air rifles.
The incident is reminiscent of the "wall-on-wall" mass brawls that took place in the Soviet Union between groups of youths from neighboring areas or villages. Serious injuries were common in these fights, which consisted of the two sides lining up and attempting to take out their counterpart in the rival "wall". The Soviet authorities cracked down on the phenomenon in the 1950s, with varying success.
MAKHACHKALA, May 10 (RIA Novosti)
