Russian football fans flaunt Novorossiya flags during Euro-2016 qualifier, despite UEFA warning

Even the Kremlin has refused to fully recognize the self-styled breakaway republics in Ukraine

Russian fans violated a UEFA ban on displaying political slogans on Friday in Montenegro – by showing the flag of Novorossiya, a self-styled area in Ukraine not even recognized by the Kremlin. The photo was published online by newspaper SovSport.

The game was eventually abandoned after flares were launched and a mass brawl ensued. Prior to the match, UEFA issued an order banning fans in the stands to show anything linked to politics.

It's not the first such incident. Last October, Russian supporters held banners proclaiming that ‘Kosovo is Serbia', next to large images of militant leaders during a game against Moldova in October 2014.

Militants in Donetsk and Luhansk began using the term ‘Novorossiya', translated as New Russia, in April last year. Russian President Vladimir Putin labeled it a tsarist-era term for land that now comprises of an area of southeastern Ukraine.