Thousands of ethnic Uzbeks are trying to escape southern Kyrgyzstan after clashes between Kyrgyz and Uzbeks killed dozens of people in the city of Osh.
The Uzbeks are trying to cross the border into Uzbekistan.
The Kyrgyz interim government has admitted that it has lost control of Osh, the country's second largest city, and has asked for Russian help to quell the violence.
Al Jazeera's Robin Forstier-Walker reports from the Kyrgyz-Uzbek border.