Moscow: Amid growing racial attacks against non-white foreigners in Russia, the Indian embassy in Moscow has "strongly advised" the students to be vigilant and take due precautions for their personal security.
"Indian students in Russia are strongly advised to take adequate precautions themselves for their personal security, particularly during all their outdoor movements," the Indian embassy said in an advisory posted on its website.
The advisory comes in the wake of brutal murder of a medical student from Bihar in Russia's second largest city of St. Petersburg last month, sparking off angry protests.
Nitesh Kumar Singh, a sixth year Indian student from the Mechnikov Medical Academy in St. Petersburg, was fatally stabbed by a group of eight masked persons in front of his hostel building on September 24.
The embassy said that Indian diplomatic missions in Moscow and St. Petersburg have strongly taken up the issue of security for Indian students with the Russian authorities.
"There can be no substitute for remaining very vigilant and exercising due caution and prudence in one's movements," the advisory said.
Earlier, in April, another Indian, a fifth year student from the same Medical Academy, Kishore Kumar Anjangi, was also attacked in the same area, but survived.
Additionally, eleven foreign students from Africa, Asia and Latin America have also been attacked in the last one year in St. Petersburg and Voronezh.
The Indian mission said Russian authorities have promised to take action against the attackers and assured improved security for the foreign students.
"The problem of attacks on non-white foreign students in Russia would require a more comprehensive approach by the Russian authorities," the advisory said.
There have been several incidents of violent attacks on Indian and other foreign students in different parts of the Russian Federation by extremist groups.
St. Petersburg accounts for highest number of all such attacks, according to police statistics, followed by Moscow and Voronezh.
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