double murder in Moscow on Sunday has raised fears in the Russian capital that fresh mafia strife may be on the way.

double murder in Moscow on Sunday has raised fears in the Russian capital that fresh mafia strife may be on the way.
There was no sign of the killer who shot the men, from Armenia and the republic of Abkhazia, in a street at close range from behind, the Interfax news agency quoted police as saying.
Investigators believe it was a contract killing with links to the mafia. A high-ranking clan leader and his bodyguard were recently shot by an unidentified sniper in the centre of Moscow, sustaining life-threatening injuries.
Authorities suspect that different criminal groups are competing for control over the gambling industry.
The run-up to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 was plagued by clan battles that led to numerous contract killings, especially in the capital.
Some observers had feared that the recent firing of Moscow mayor Yuri Luzkhov over corruption and abuse of authority charges would again lead to instability, given that he had ruled the capital for 18 years with an iron fist.