MOSCOW, December 6 (RIA Novosti) - President Vladimir Putin has appointed a new interior minister for the northwestern Russian republic of Karelia, hit by a wave of anti-migrant riots in September, the Kremlin press service said Wednesday.

Colonel Igor Alyoshin will replace Dmitry Mikhailov, sacked along with other top law enforcement officials after the killing of two Russians in a brawl with Chechen migrants sparked mass protests and mob violence in the Karelian town of Kondopoga.

Angry crowds attacked businesses owned by locally-based Chechens, demanding that all migrants from the Caucasus region be driven out.

The rampages raised fears that anti-migrant protests might spill over to other parts of Russia, which has seen a resurgence of xenophobia and race-hate crimes in recent years.