A Moscow court has ordered the closure of a radical Russian supremacist group that called for the creation of an armed border with the former Soviet Caucasus and Central Asian republics.

The Moscow City Court on Monday banned the activities of the Movement against Illegal Immigration (DPNI) as "extremist."

DPNI has called for a curb on the inflow of illegal immigrants and pushed for a law that would require immigrants to pass language and social communication tests.

No exact figures for the current number of illegal immigrants in Russia are available, but experts suggest there are about 4-5 million.

DPNI says it will appeal against the court order.

Nationalist riots in Moscow four months ago triggered by the murder of an ethnic Russian football fan by an internal migrant from the North Caucasus have prompted the authorities to launch a crackdown on extremism and manifestations of racism.

Last week, a court in the Moscow region shut down a neo-pagan organization, The Power of Rus, for inflicting ethnic and social unrest.

MOSCOW, April 18 (RIA Novosti)