MOSCOW, September 23 (RIA Novosti) - More than 70 people have been killed and some 300 injured in ethnically motivated violence in Russia so far this year, the deputy head of a think-tank dealing with the problem said Tuesday.

"The latest statistics for this year say 72 have been killed and about 300 injured," SOVA deputy director Galina Kozhevnikova said.

Kozhevnikova said residents of ex-Soviet Central Asian republics, who come to Russia in search of jobs, have suffered skinhead attacks most often, and account for more than a third of the casualties.

Official statistics suggest a wave of ethnic violence has subsided in Moscow, but the expert said attacks on people with non-Slavic looks have been disguised as everyday violence.

"Racists have learnt to disguise their attacks as forced ones, for example, by the need to protect a girlfriend," Kozhevnikova said.

Earlier Tuesday, the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance pointed to a rise in racist sentiments in Russia.

It said even politicians indulge in racist remarks, often blaming ethnic minorities for social difficulties facing the country.

The commission, which monitors racist and other xenophobic offences in Europe, said Russia lacked a strategy to tackle the problem and offered to help.