Sochi stands ready against terror threats

Ever since the Winter Olympics were awarded to Russia, fears were raised about potential terrorist attacks, which have plagued the country since the collapse of the Soviet Union, writes Dmitri Trenin.

In 2007, when Russian president Vladimir Putin travelled to Guatemala City to support his country’s bid to host this year’s Winter Olympics in Sochi, he knew that winning would be the easiest step in the process. Many joked that only Russia would propose a subtropical seaside resort for a winter sports competition. But while concerns about a lack of snow in the surrounding mountains, or about Russia’s ability to build the needed infrastructure in time, have gradually receded since Russia was awarded the games, one major apprehension has remained: The threat of terrorism.

Sochi is located in the North Caucasus region, which, following the Soviet Union’s dissolution, experienced a long and brutal armed insurgency in Chechnya, while neighbouring Dagestan, in particular, later became a hotbed of Islamist extremism and terrorism.