Soviet Moldova Erupts in Violence; 6 Killed : Ethnic tension: Russian and Ukrainian residents are battling nationalists seeking autonomy from the U.S.S.R.

Ethnic tensions exploded into violence in Soviet Moldova today when armed Moldovan nationalists and ethnic Russians clashed east of the capital, leaving at least six people dead and 30 wounded, Tass news agency reported.

The casualties occurred in fighting near a village outside Dubossary, a town of at least 10,000 to the northeast of Kishniev, Tass said, quoting the Dubossary Deputy Mayor Alexander Parajan.

A police officer was also wounded in a shoot-out in Dubossary, and at least 2,000 workers have formed brigades to defend the town’s residents, Tass said.

Dubossary is an area in eastern Moldova--officially called Moldavia until last summer--whose predominantly Russian and Ukrainian residents are opposed to Moldova’s secession drive from the Soviet Union. They already have declared an autonomous republic in the heavily non-Moldovan areas along the Dniester River.

Their separatist fight intensified last week after another separatist group, the Gagauz minority in the southern corner of the republic, declared autonomy and began holding elections for an independent government.

Groups of ethnic Russians and Ukrainians reportedly helped defend the Gagauz against brigades of Moldovan nationalists trying to stop the secession drives.

Both groups have accused Moldovans of discriminating against the minorities during Moldova’s own independence drive from the Soviet Union.

The Kremlin sent up to 800 Interior Ministry troops to the Gagauz region to keep order last week.

Today’s violence came hours after the Moldovan Supreme Soviet legislature declared a state of emergency in Dubossary and the nearby towns of Tiraspol and Bendery. It had imposed similar rules on the Gagauz area last week.

The legislature also voted to form a new Moldovan national guard, separate from the national Interior Ministry troops and its regiments based in Moldova.

Tass said the emergency rules were expanded after reports that “armed units” were approaching the cities from the capital of Kishniev. Parajan, the deputy mayor, did not say who made up the units, Tass said.