Police detain hundreds at banned march

? Police moved to block thousands of ultranationalist demonstrators rallying Saturday in Russian streets, arresting hundreds who gathered in defiance of a ban on far-right demonstrations.

A main organizer of the demonstrations, Alexander Belov, said rallies attracting thousands had taken place in more than 20 cities including Moscow, St. Petersburg, Krasnodar in southern Russia, Blagoveshchensk in the Russian Far East and the Siberian city of Novosibirsk.

Russia has seen an increase in hate crimes against dark-skinned foreigners, Jews and immigrants from Central Asia and the Caucasus. This year, 39 people have been killed in apparent hate crimes and a further 308 attacked, according to the Sova rights center.