BBC NEWS | Europe | UK students fear Russian racists

Voronezh is a frightening place after dark, especially if you're a foreigner. The southern Russian town has been playing host to British and other foreign students for decades, but now, mirroring a national trend, it is seeing a dramatic rise in racism and racist attacks. Two foreign students have been murdered there in the past two years - the last victim a Peruvian, just a few weeks ago. Enrique Hurtado was at a sports complex when he was set upon by a gang of skinheads. The 18-year-old was beaten to death, another Peruvian and a Spanish student who were with him were left unconscious. The horrific attack has thrown the spotlight on a problem that the authorities seem reluctant to confront. When I met a group of British students who have been sent to Voronezh by their universities back home as part of their Russian language degrees, they were all very disturbed by what had happened.