Note: This is my 49th special Window on
Eurasia about the meaning and impact of the planned Olympiad on the nations in
the surrounding region. These WOEs,
which will appear each Friday over the coming year, will not aim at being
comprehensive but rather will consist of a series bullet points about such
developments. I would like to invite
anyone with special knowledge or information about this subject to send me
references to the materials involved. My
email address is paul.goble@gmail.com Allow me to express my thanks to all those
who already have. Paul Goble
London Warns
Terrorist Attacks in Russia ‘Very Likely’ Before or During Games. Britain’s
Foreign and Commonwealth Office says that terrorist attacks are “very likely to
occur” in the Russian Federation before or during the Sochi Games. According to
the BBC, “the FCO advises against all travel to Chechnya, Ingushetia and
Dagestan and the districts of Budyonnovsky, Levokumsky, Neftekumsky, Stepnovsky
and Kursky in Stavropol Krai. It also advises against all but essential travel
to North Ossetia, Karachai-Cherkessia and Kabardino-Balkaria” (bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25907140).
Russian Physical
Security Quite Good at Sochi, Experts Say, But Counter-Intelligence on
Terrorism Questioned.
Most Western experts and officials say that Russia has established good but not
absolute physical security in Sochi and at the Olympic venues, but the
unwillingness of Russia to share information raises questions about whether
Moscow’s intelligence about terrorists is equal to the challenge that the
Russian government faces, especially given the proclivity of terrorists to
exploit international sports events and the “uptick” in security threats there that
US officials have spoken of in recent days. Experts are also concerned about
the implications of Russia’s rejection of significantly expanded cooperation
with the US and the UK despite its being offered and the possibility that
physical security in Sochi will lead terrorists to attack elsewhere (washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/fbi-efforts-to-assist-sochi-olympics-limited-by-russians/2014/01/24/7c17c6fe-8370-11e3-8099-9181471f7aaf_story.html, sportingnews.com/sport/story/2014-01-23/2014-sochi-olympics-threats-draw-tight-security-russian-security-massive, washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/fbi-efforts-to-assist-sochi-olympics-limited-by-russians/2014/01/24/7c17c6fe-8370-11e3-8099-9181471f7aaf_story.html, foxnews.com/world/2014/01/24/expert-area-around-sochi-olympics-almost-as-dangerous-as-iraq/, salon.com/2014/01/25/the_sochi_olympics_putins_shiny_new_surveillance_state/,
http://www.voanews.com/content/mounting-threats-against-sochi-winter-olympics-worry-terrorism-experts/1839571.html, novayagazeta.ru/politics/61960.html,
http://www.theverge.com/2014/1/28/5353466/russia-turns-sochi-into-a-surveillance-state-ahead-of-winter-olympics, my.chicagotribune.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-79045829/
Russia Doesn’t
Need NATO’s Help with Sochi Security, Lavrov Says. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says
that Russia does not need assistance from NATO to provide security at Sochi.
Moscow is full capable of doing so by itself (kavkaz-uzel.ru/articles/237424/ and kavkaz-uzel.ru/articles/237375/).
US-Russian
Security Cooperation on Sochi Strictly Limited. The US Department of Defense and the Russian
Ministry of Defense have agreed to maintain close contacts during the Sochi
Olympiad, but Moscow has been unwilling to agree to large-scale American
involvement in Sochi because of underlying
mistrust between Moscow and Washington.
There will be a small FBI presence in Moscow and Sochi, but experts say
that the role of the US will be far more limited than it has been in other Olympiads
over the last two decades. That has led
some in Congress to express concern, although most who have spoken on this
issue have expressed confidence that the games themselves will be safe (kavkaz-uzel.ru/articles/237437/, blogs.cfr.org/zenko/2014/01/26/why-the-u-s-and-russia-wont-cooperate-to-protect-the-sochi-games/#cid=soc-twitter-at-blogs-why_the_us_and_russia_won8217t-012614,
sports.yahoo.com/news/us-russia-tensions-flare-over-winter-olympics-security-033015622--oly.html,
and thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/196435-king-no-guarantee-of-safety-for-olympians).
US Olympians
Urged Not to Call Attention to Themselves.
The US Olympic Committee has told its athletes to avoid wearing uniforms
in public that identify themselves as Americans lest they attract the attention
of terrorists. The US State Department says this is a normal precaution and
does not reflect any finding that terrorists in the North Caucasus are
targeting US citizens (echo.msk.ru/news/1244792-echo.html, washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/sochi-2014-security-concerns-a-reality-for-us-olympians-and-their-families/2014/01/27/cca2f582-87a1-11e3-833c-33098f9e5267_story.html and fox4kc.com/2014/01/26/warning-to-u-s-athletes-no-olympic-uniform-outside-sochi-venues/).
Families of Some
US Olympians Choose Not to Go to Sochi. Because of security concerns, some family
members who would normally attend such competitions will not be going to Sochi.
Those who are planning to attend say that security issues are never out of
their minds but that they hope the Russians will be able to prevent any attack
(scpr.org/news/2014/01/29/41876/sochi-2014-why-some-athletes-families-will-sit-out/ and cbsnews.com/news/more-us-olympians-tell-their-families-to-skip-sochi/).
Russian Sports
Minister Acknowledges Sochi Not Ready. As the clock ticks down to the time of
the opening ceremony on February 7, it is becoming harder and harder for
Russian officials to maintain their stance that everything is ready. Some, like Mayor Pakhomov try, but most are
backing away and using words like “almost” and “nearly.” But Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko has
now acknowledged that “to be honest, not everything is” and that in some
places, “there is more to do” (newizv.ru/sport/2014-01-29/196199-ministr-sporta-rf-vitalij-mutko.html). Evidence that there is a lot more to do,
especially involving roads, sidewalks, hotels, and support facilities is
provided by local reporting and extensive pictorial documentation, including blogsochi.ru/content/olimpiiskie-zadvorki-2,
blogsochi.ru/content/10-dnei-do-mezhdunarodnogo-skandala-v-sochi, blogsochi.ru/content/predskazaniya-sochintsam-bezoblachnogo-zavtra-ot-kozaka-i-koe-chto-eshche, blogsochi.ru/content/olimpiiskii-slovar-nedelya-s-mariannoi-maksimoskoi, blogsochi.ru/content/olimpiiskii-dubler-za-12-dnei-do-igr,
privetsochi.ru/blog/photo/41107.html, privetsochi.ru/blog/sitiproblem/41082.html, privetsochi.ru/blog/news_sochi/41056.html and gorod.afisha.ru/changes/gorod-za-nedelyu-do-nachala-igr/).
Putin Said Using
Olympiad to Solve Domestic and Foreign Policy Tasks. Islam Tekushev,
the editor of the Prague-based “Caucasus Times,” says that it is clear that
“the Olympiad in Sochi has become for the Kremlin a suitable pretext for the
resolution of certain domestic and foreign policy tasks, above all the issues
of societal mobilization and an increase in patriotism ... and an expansion of its presence in the Caucasus
and on the Black Sea. Putin’s Moscow has
broadened its presence in Abkhazia and South Osetia” still further as a result
of the games. Other analysts have made same point and suggested Putin may use
the Games to attack Ukraine or somewhere else just as he did the Beijing Games
in 2008 to attack Georgia (caucasustimes.com/article.asp?id=21243 and regnum.ru/news/polit/1759946.html).
Sochi Games Likely to Be Declared Successful If
There is Snow But No Terrorism. A commentary in London’s “Spectator”
newspaper said that “given the incredibly low expectations” that most people
have for Sochi, “the Russian games may even be judged a success as long as the
weather stays cold and no terrorist attack takes place.” But even if those conditions are met, the Games
have “backfired” against Vladimir Putin because of the anger that many Russians
feel about the cost and corruption involved and because of the opposition of
many in the West to his “broader campaign against homosexuality.” This general
lowering of expectations is reflected in articles which specify that things are
fine in Sochi because the torch hasn’t gone out recently (spectator.co.uk/features/9126622/putins-pink-peril/ and privetsochi.ru/blog/Flood/41168.html).
IOC President Criticizes
World Leaders for Not Coming to Sochi ... Thomas Bach, the president of the
International Olympic Committee, criticized those world leaders who are
refusing to come to the Sochi Games. They are politicizing something that
should be about athletic competition. He
acknowledged that “there had been many problems in Sochi but one must consider
that the IOC has worked on them if they concern the Olympics. I call for a discussion based on facts,” he
said (vedomosti.ru/sochi-2014/news/21879711/prezident-mok-raskritikoval-politikov).
... While
Russia’s Chernyshenko Says 60 are Coming ...
Dmitry Chernyshenko, head of the Russian organizing committee, says that
despite being some of the busiest people on earth, some 60 chiefs of state,
heads of government, and senior national and international organization
officials will be coming to Sochi. According to his count, that will be the
greatest number ever to attend a Winter Olympiad (izvestia.ru/news/564547).
... And
Complains Bach Didn’t Go Far Enough in Opposing Protests. Although the IOC’s Thomas Bach said that
athletes should not engage in political demonstrations at the Olympics, Dmitry
Chernyshenko, head of Russia’s organizing committee, said the IOC head should
have gone further: “He might have mentioned that there is a rule 50 in the
Olympic Charter which limits the expression of any propaganda during the
Games," Chernyshenko said. "I don't think they (athletes) are allowed
by the Charter to express those views that are not related to the sport at the
press conference room." He said that any athlete or visitor who felt he or
she had to make a statement hould do so at the “Sochi speakers’ corner” some
7.5 miles away from the venues (mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSBREA0S13M20140129?irpc=932).
Many
‘Volunteers’ in Sochi are in Fact Security Officers. Many of the security officials working in
Sochi are dressed as volunteers, the better to fit in but a possible
explanation of what many see as the impolite and off-putting behavior of the
volunteers. Many of the security personnel who have been brought in are living
in Spartan conditions and are unhappy with their lot, according to Russian
reporters (privetsochi.ru/blog/bred_sochi/41025.html and svpressa.ru/politic/article/81157/?rtc=1).
Two Cows Wander
through Sochi Olympic Village. Two unsupervised cows wandered into and
out of the Olympic village prompting residents to ask “has anyone lost a cow?”
(privetsochi.ru/blog/horses/40927.html and privetsochi.ru/blog/bred_sochi/41021.html).
Picture of Two
Toilets in One Sochi Stall Goes Viral, Prompts Sharp Russian Reaction. A photograph taken by BBC correspondent Steve
Rosenberg showing two toilets in a single stall in a Sochi facility went viral.
Many Americans wondered what was going on, but many Russians viewed this as
symbolic of much that is wrong with the Sochi Games. Russian officials only made it worse by
putting out an implausible story about how these toilets were not connected and
one of which was about to be moved (http://nypost.com/2014/01/29/russia-olympics-in-the-toilets/ and http://realty.newsru.com/article/23jan2014/olimptumby).
Both Supporters
and Opponents of Sochi Games Drawing on 1980 Moscow Olympic Motifs. Both those who want the Sochi Games to
be a big success and those who believe the preparations for the Olympics have
undermined that possibility, experts say, are using many themes derived from
their predecessors who either supported or opposed the Moscow Games 34 years
ago. (buzzfeed.com/vinogrekov/the-art-of-an-olympic-boycott-moscow-1980-vs-soch-gzvy and svpressa.ru/society/article/81137/).
Torch Travails
Continue and Intensify in the North Caucasus.
The
Olympic torch arrived in the North Caucasus where it not only suffered the same
problems it faced in other parts of the Russian Federation including going out
when it wasn’t supposed to, isolated protests on a variety of subjects, a
heavy-handed security presence and a negative reaction by Russian bloggers to
people doing the lezginka, something they had objected to earlier as well, but
also some new ones in addition. Concerns
about security led officials in several of the republics to reduce the length
of the route the torch was carried, the number of bearers, and even the size of
crowds. Elsewhere officials gave people
the day off and ordered students, faculty and government officials to attend.
Meanwhile, officials in Sochi itself were preparing for the torch’s arrival
there by handing out detailed instructions to residents about how they are
expected to behave when it does ( kavpolit.com/olimpijskomu-ognyu-ne-dadut-razgulyatsya-na-kavkaze/, sevkavportal.ru/news/pub/kultura/item/12805-plamya-olimpijskogo-ognya.html, sevkavportal.ru/news/pub/analitics/item/12749-vo-vladikavkaze-v-svyazi-.html, kavkaz-uzel.ru/articles/237410/, kavkaz-uzel.ru/articles/237358/,
kavkaz-uzel.ru/articles/237348/, kavkaz-uzel.ru/articles/237322/, kavkaz-uzel.ru/articles/237312/, kavkaz-uzel.ru/articles/237302/,
Harassment of
Foreign Journalists in Sochi Increasing, Norwegian Reporter Says. Øystein Bogen,
foreign affairs correspondent for TV2 in Norway, says that the experience of
his crew in Sochi earlier this month when they were “stopped,arrested [and]
detained more than six times in the course of 48 hours” is becoming
increasingly common there. Police there
said they suspected he was taking drugs and insisted tht he take a drug test.
“I never imagined that any topic would be
critical enough to provoke such a reaction,” he said (huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/29/journalist-olympics-sochi-detained-arrested_n_4690457.html).
Russian
Authorities Increase Pressure on Opposition Activists in Rostov. Russian officials have fined one activist who
held up a sign when the Olympic torch passed an have harassed others in a sign
that the authorities hope to intimidate them (kavkaz-uzel.ru/articles/237224/ and ewnc.org/node/13474).
Pakhomov Says
‘There are No Gays’ in Sochi. Speaking to the
BBC, Sochi Mayor Anatoly Pakhomov said “we don’t have any gays” in the city but
would welcome any among the athletes or fans who attend the games. His claim, undercut by the existence of gay
clubs there, recalled the old Soviet line that “there is no sex in the USSR”
and sparked widespread derision not only of Pakhomov but other official claims
about Sochi (bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25675957, kavkaz-uzel.ru/articles/237273/, kasparov.ru/material.php?id=52E649913E6C1 and kasparov.ru/material.php?id=52E5F1B450A5A).
Pakhomov Says
Everything is Ready for the Olympiad Except for a Little Polishing. Despite widespread evidence to the contrary,
Sochi Mayor Anatoly Pakhomov said on Russia Today that everything is ready for
the opening of the games except for a little cleaning and polishing (privetsochi.ru/blog/politics_sochi/41165.html).
Sochi Not Ready
for Paralympics Either. Photographs show that Sochi has not been
transformed into the barrier free city it is supposed to be under Olympic
rules. But officials are upbeat and say they will hand out special maps to
participants and visitors to the Paralympics to guide them on their way (vesti-sochi.tv/olimpiada/22542-gostej-paralimpiady-sorientirujut-v-sochi-po-putevoditeljam, privetsochi.ru/blog/bred_sochi/41034.html and privetsochi.ru/blog/adler/40978.html).
Sochi Seen
Leading to ‘Final Break’ between Russian People and Putin. Pavel Basanets,
a Moscow commentator, says that the Olympiad will “begin the final break”
between the authorities and the people, a prospect that frightens both because
of the unpredictability that will entail (kasparov.ru/material.php?id=52E768A0139E0).
Russian Officials
Using Fan Passports to Exclude Opposition Figures. Many have been
concerned that Moscow’s requirement that all fans attending the Sochi Games
have a “fan passport” would allow Moscow to collect information on a wide swath
of people, but now more Russians are worried that the authorities are using
these documents to exclude those who oppose the regime or who are in categories
that Moscow assumes might be a problem (svpressa.ru/politic/article/81157/, kasparov.ru/material.php?id=52E4F6112A658 and
Navalny Launches
Interactive Website on Waste, Fraud and Abuse at Sochi. Aleksey Navalny, a leading Russian opposition
figure who has made his name by fighting corruption, has launched an
interactive website detailing the massive waste, fraud and abuse at Sochi, with
particular attention to the corruption and violation of rights these things
have involved (foxnews.com/sports/2014/01/27/russian-activist-creates-sochi-olympics-corruption-website/, kavkaz-uzel.ru/articles/237352/, buzzfeed.com/maxseddon/eye-popping-excerpts-from-a-report-alleging-corruption-at, sochi.fbk.info/en/award/, in.reuters.com/article/2014/01/27/olympics-russia-cost-idINDEEA0Q0BC20140127 and blogsochi.ru/content/aleksei-navalnyi-o-tom-skolko-stoila-na-samom-dele-olimpiada-v-sochi).
Ukrainian
Protesters Call for a Boycott of Sochi.
A group of Ukrainians taking part in the anti-Yanukovich Maidan have
called for the international community to “demonstrate solidarity with
Ukrainians by boycotting the Sochi Olympic Games” because Russian “dictator
Putin is heavily involved” in supporting the incumbent Ukrainian president’s
repression of his own people. Meanwhile, an unconfirmed rumor is circulating
that the NHL may decide its players should not go to Sochi because of security
questions. Meanwhile, some Russian nationalists are saying that the West
organized the Ukrainian demonstrations in order to take revenge on Putin for
Sochi (facebook.com/vasyl.myroshnychenko/posts/10100113557531961:0,
nhl.si.com/2014/01/28/top-line-would-nhl-skip-sochi-games-steven-stamkos-scare-more-links/ and rossiyanavsegda.ru/read/1676/).
Daghestani
Salafis Told Not to Travel Beyond Their Republic While Sochi is in Progress. Salafi Muslims in Daghestan have been told by
officials there not to travel beyond the borders of their home republic while
the Olympics are in progress, a violation
of the Russian Constitution but a step taken because the Salafis are
often identified by Russian officials as jihadists (kavkaz-uzel.ru/articles/237126/ and kavkaz-uzel.ru/articles/237126/).
Moscow Seeks to
Coopt and Use Circassians as ‘Decoration’ at Sochi. Circassians overwhelmingly oppose the holding
of the Olympics in Sochi because that was the site of the 1864 genocide visited
upon their people, but both because the Olympic Charter requires the host
country to acknowledge indigenous peoples and to counter Circassian calls for a
boycott of the Sochi Games, Russian organizers are using some Circassian
leaders who are prepared to cooperate and have invited them to attend the first
three days of the Games. (At that time, the Russian hosts released a statement
they claimed the group had made but which its members subsequently said they
knew nothing about.) That invitation was extended to the Circassians who
visited the North Caucasus on Moscow’s invitation last year. Circassians both in the diaspora and in the
homeland doubt that the Russian authorities will allow them to play any but a
scripted and “decorative” role (balcanicaucaso.org/eng/Regions-and-countries/Russia/Sochi-the-Circassian-factor-146582, vestnikkavkaza.net/m/a/50522, dimak.org/gencdusunceler/2014/1/22/dasporada-ykselen-gen-muhalafetn-moskova-nalk-zlenmler, natpress.ru/index.php?newsid=8661, vestnikkavkaza.net/m/a/50522, and natpress.net/index.php?newsid=11993).
US Congressman
Says Sochi Games Violate Memory of Circassian Victims. Representative Bill Pascell of New Jersey has
issued a statement in support of the Circassians and their national
aspirations. He asks colleagues to join
him in recognizing those rights and also to find that Russia is continuing to
violate them and insult the memory of the hundreds of thousands of Circassians
who were killed in Sochi and the surrounding area 150 years ago (nosochi2014.com/campaign/statement-of-support-for-circassians-to-us-congress.php).
Russian
Anti-Circassian Rhetoric Increasingly Harsh and Extreme. Ever more articles about the Circassian cause
are appearing in the Russia media, and an increasing share of them are adopting
intemperate language comparing supporters of the Circassians with the Nazis and
denouncing as “myths” the genocide and the mistreatment of the Circassian
nation by the Russian state. At the same
time, ever more articles are appearing in Europe and the West recounting the
tragic history of the Circassians (segodnia.ru/content/134469, keepingscore.blogs.time.com/2014/01/22/sochi-weird-facts/, natpress.ru/index.php?newsid=8669m
caucasusforum.org/moscow-nalchik-impressions-of-the-young-opposition-rising-in-the-diaspora/,
Circassians
Continue Actions in Memory of the Genocide. Circassians in the North
Caucasus and in the diaspora continue to hold meetings on a weekly basis to
mark 150th anniversary of the genocide visited upon their ancestors
by Russian forces (nazaccent.ru/content/10348-cherkesskie-aktivisty-otkryli-god-skorbi-akciej.html).
Ground Water in
Some Parts of Sochi Dangerous for Human Consumption. Environmental groups have called attention to
the contamination of the ground water in parts of Sochi as a result of Olympic
construction, and officials have in effect confirmed their worries by trucking
in water for residents, although some of that alternative supply may have been
the result of frequent water shut offs also occasioned by construction (rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/brent-patterson/2014/01/sochi-olympics-construction-endangers-local-water-resevoirs).
Sochi Residents
Face New Problems.
In addition to the problems they have faced over the past year, including but not limited to
official malfeasance and harassment, the lack of reliable electric,
water and sewage services, the leakage of raw sewage into public spaces, the
expulsion of more than 2000 from their homes, many of whom have gone
uncompensated, and the destruction of already problematic infrastructure, this
week Sochi residents faced some new problems: the closure of familiar markets,
the rerouting of traffic, an increasing number of fences and barriers, the
absence of police when residents called for them, and the risk that their pets might
be killed if they somehow got out of the house without their owners being
nearby. Not surprisingly, some Sochi residents are now saying that the Sochi
Olympics have destroyed their city and that it may be “your” Olympiad it isn’t
theirs (privetsochi.ru/blog/Flood/41088.html, privetsochi.ru/blog/news_sochi/41016.html, privetsochi.ru/blog/Criminal_Sochi/41000.html, blogsochi.ru/content/prazdnik-za-reshetkoi, sochivodokanal.ru/monitor/, blogsochi.ru/content/%C2%ABdobro%C2%BB-olimpiady, blogsochi.ru/content/pakhnushchii-sochi, blogsochi.ru/content/bezzashchitnye-kurorty-rossii, blogsochi.ru/content/transportnye-ogranicheniya-nachinayut-deistvovat-v-sochi-s-25-yanvarya, privetsochi.ru/blog/Vokrug_Sochi/41201.html, privetsochi.ru/blog/auto_sochi/41119.html privetsochi.ru/blog/sitiproblem/41112.html,
Trash Heaps
Rising in Sochi as Builders Rush to Dump and Hide Construction Waste. Wherever they
look and often where they don’t expect it, Sochi residents are encountering
rising piles of trash from Olympic construction as builders try to meet the
opening deadline (blogsochi.ru/content/internet-vsetaki-sila, blogsochi.ru/content/musornyi-khaos-nakanune-igr, blogsochi.ru/content/dvory-olimpiiskogo-goroda-kurorta-sochi privetsochi.ru/blog/bred_sochi/41144.html, privetsochi.ru/blog/bred_sochi/41129.html, privetsochi.ru/blog/adler/41072.html,
privetsochi.ru/blog/Vokrug_Sochi/41033.html,privetsochi.ru/blog/bred_sochi/41001.html
and http://www.privetsochi.ru/blog/eco-sochi/40997.html).
Sochi Officials
Putting Out Poison to Kill Stray Dogs and Cats. Sochi officials, although they have not been
willing to confirm this, are putting out poison to kill homeless animals or
those which are unfortunate enough to get out of their homes without a human
partner. Animal rights activists are
furious not only because officials have not kept their promises to build a
shelter but because of the indiscriminate and cruel means they are using to
remove the animals from the streets. One activist has distributed a guide on
what to do if a pet is inadvertently poisoned as a result (svoboda.org/content/article/25235016.html, kavkaz-uzel.ru/articles/237381/, privetsochi.ru/blog/vet/41101.html and triboona.ru/posts/view/701).
Cartoons Against
Sochi Become Sharper. Those who are angry about the Olympiad and
Vladimir Putin’s policies are increasingly drawing and disseminating cartoons
to make their point. Among the best this week was one showing Putin surrounded
by security guards doing a snow angel and another showing Russian police using
a bomb sniffing dog and a gay sniffing dog to ferret out “enemies.” Another popular way of making such points are
posters like one tht says “Friends don’t let friends go to Sochi” (facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=569289726495629&set=a.200485616709377.46743.156326144458658&type=1&theater, tulsaworld.com/opinion/syndicatedcartoons/sochi-security/article_758e2f62-8735-11e3-a514-001a4bcf6878.html?mode=image&photo=0,
Ruble’s Fall Could
Boost Foreign Attendance at Sochi.
The head of the Russian tourism organization says that the fall of the
ruble will make coming to Sochi less expensive for foreigners and thus may
boost attendance, but other Russian officials say that the Olympics will lead
to an upward correction in the value of the Russian currency relative to others
(bloomberg.com/news/2014-01-24/putin-s-sochi-olympics-to-boost-oversold-ruble-market-reversal.html and http://vesti-sochi.tv/olimpiada/22582-glava-rosturizma-snizhenie-kursa-rublja-sprovociruet-rost-interesa-k-rossijskim-kurortam-v-tom-chisle-sochi-).
Voice of Russia
Says Advertising of Sochi Sets Record for All Olympics. The Voice of Russia said that “the total
values of contracts with sponsors, suppliers, and licensees” amounts to “almost
half a trillion dollars [sic].” (That
would be 500 billion dollars or ten times the amount even critics say the games
cost and is almost certainly a misprint. The network probably meant rubles in
which case the amount would be 16 billion US dollars.) That amount, it said,
“is an all-time record not only for Winter but also for Summer Olympic Games.”
Andrey Mamontov, a Russian marketing expert, said that “of course, advertising
contracts will not cover all expendituresfor the preparation for the Olympics,
but they may bring a substantial income”(voiceofrussia.com/news/2014_01_30/Sochi-Olympics-sets-advertising-record-9640/).
Sochi Merchandise
Not Selling as Well as Predicted. The Russian
Olympic organizing committee will receive only about 30 million US dollars from
its licensing of Olympic-themed products, far less than the 51 million US
dollars the Vancouver Olympiad realized and than the Russian committee had
originally projected (themoscowtimes.com/sochi2014/Sochi-Concedes-Defeat-to-Vancouver-in-Merchandise-Sales.html).
Two Suspects in
Volgograd Bombings Arrested. Russia’s
National Anti-Terrorism Committee said police have arrested two accomplices in
the December 2013 Volgograd bombings. It
said the two were part of a terrorist group based in Daghestan (metronews.ca/sports/926366/sochi-olympics-2-suspects-arrested-in-suicide-bombing/).
Serbian
Gastarbeiters Returning Home from Sochi Say They were Mistreated. According to a report by RFE/RL, “apparently
the much-touted ‘Slavic brotherhood’ beteen Russians and Serbs doesn’t extend
to migrant workers.” Approximately 100
ethnic Serbs from Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina have now returned to their
homelands and report they were mistreated and harassed by Russian companies and
officials in Sochi (rferl.org/content/serb-workers-sochi-olympic/25240405.html).
Many Russians
View Sochi Games as “Just Another Disaster to Be Survived.” “Even beyond the societies of social
activists and environmentalists,” Bellona reports, “there are plenty of people
[in Russia] who have plenty of Olympic-related woes on their mind[s]. But few of them areespecially
forthcoming. It’s all just another
disaster to be survived, another turn of the Kremlin gears they hope not to get
crushed by ... As one activist [said], ‘It’s just something called life in
Russia’” (bellona.org/news/russian-human-rights-issues/2014-01-olympic-climate-change-hitting-krasnodar-hard).
More than 50
Olympians Call for Moscow to Repeal Anti-Gay Laws. Some 52 current and past Olympians have
signed the Principle Six Campaign which calls for Moscow to repeal its anti-gay
legislation. Among them are Martina
Navratilova and Greg Louganis (theguardian.com/sport/2014/jan/30/olympic-athletes-russia-repeal-anti-gay-laws).
Bad Weather
Traps 158 Buses Heading for Sochi. A
major snow storm has blocked 158 buses travelling to Sochi for the Olympiad.
The snow has also limited travel on even the largest roads and delayed but not
yet stopped trains in the area. More bad
weather is predicted for the next week in the mountains north of Sochi (aif.ru/olymp2014/olympnews/1094008 and
IOC President
Reiterates Sexual Minorities Won’t Face Problems in Sochi. Thomas Bach, president of the
International Olympic Committee, says that his group has “guarantees from the
Russian authorities” that the Olympic Charter will be observed and that during
the Games there will not be any manifestations of discrimination including on
the basis of sexual orientation” (kavkaz-uzel.ru/articles/237325/).
Russian Finance
Minister Acknowledges Moscow Spent 50 Billion US Dollars in Sochi. Finance Minister Anton Siluanov told Ekho
Moskvy that Mosco had spent a total of 1.5 trillion rubles (50 billion US dollars)
to get ready for the Olympiad, a figure far closer to the estimates of
independent experts than the ones that continue to be offered by President
Vladimir Putin and his administration (sochinskie-novosti.com/2014/01/24/%D0%BC%D0%B5%D0%B3%D0%B0%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B5%D0%BA%D1%82-%D1%81%D0%BE%D1%87%D0%B8-2014-%D0%BE%D0%B1%D0%BE%D1%88%D0%B5%D0%BB%D1%81%D1%8F-%D0%B2-1-5-%D1%82%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%BB%D0%BB%D0%B8%D0%BE%D0%BD%D0%B0-%D1%80%D1%83%D0%B1%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%B9/ ).
Sochi Games have
Made North Caucasian Instability ‘More Visible.’ Michal
Romanowski, program coordinator for the German Marshall Fund of the United
States in Warsaw, says that the North Caucasus has “for two decades been on a
steady, permanent boil.” The Sochi Games have simply made this reality “mmore
visible,” and he suggested that “the terrorists of the North Caucasus will do
their best to ensur that the world does not forget them” (blog.gmfus.org/2014/01/29/sochis-other-games-putin-against-the-terrorists/).
Moscow Furious
at Use of Olympic Torch in Dubai.
Russian officials, from the Olympic committee to the foreign ministry,
have expressed outrage that several hotels in Dubai are displaying Olympic symbols
and even conducting what Moscow has called an “illegitimate” torch relay. Sochi organizers say that only they are allowed to have such a relay at the
present (sochi2014.rsport.ru/torchrelay/20140130/718918886.html and
US-Born Buddhist
Among Sochi Torch Bearers. Erdni
Ombadykov, a Kalmyk lama from Philadelphia who returned to the Buddhist region
of the Russian Federation earlier at the suggestion of the Dalai Lama, was one
of the torch bearers in Kalmykia (en.rsport.ru/olympics/20140125/717881919.html).
Obama
Received Standing Ovation in Congress for Reference to Sochi. US President Barack Obama was given a
standing ovation during his State of the Union address when he referred to
Sochi by saying “We believe in the inherent dignity and
equality of every human being, regardless of race or religion, creed or sexual
orientation. Next week the world will see one expression of that commitment
when Team USA marches the red, white and blue into the Olympic stadium and
brings home the gold” (olympictalk.nbcsports.com/2014/01/29/president-obama-mentions-olympics-in-state-of-the-union/). Obama
subsequently said that he would suggest that friends consider going to the
Sochi Games even though he will not be attending (cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/international/2014/01/31/newday-jake-tapper-obama-on-sochi-olympics.cnn.html).
UNGA Issues Call
for Olympic Truce.
John Ash, the president of the 68th session of the UN General
Assembly, formally issued the call to countries participating in the Sochi
Games for an Olympic truce (kavkaz-uzel.ru/articles/237435/).
German City
Refuses to Host ‘Welcome to Sochi’ Exhibit.
The German city of Kassel said that it would not host an exhibit of the
satirical works of Vasily Slonov about Sochi, not because of the content of his
pictures but because he is not a resident of that city (kavkaz-uzel.ru/articles/237408/).
ICG Says Putin’s
Approach in North Caucasus Points to More Violence Ahead. The International Crisis Group in a report
entitled “Too Far, Too Fast: Sochi, Tourism and Conflict in the Caucasus” says
that the approach Russian President Vladimir Putin has adopted to secure the
Olympics “may temporarily suppress the symptoms of the North Caucasus
insurgency, but they cannot solve the core problems” (crisisgroup.org/en/regions/europe/north-caucasus/228-too-far-too-fast-sochi-tourism-and-conflict-in-the-caucasus.aspx).
Refugees in
Ingushetia Plan Flashmob for February 7. Refugees who were forced to flee as a result
of the conflict between Chechnya and Ingushetia in the early 1990s say they
will stage a flashmob on the day of the opening of the Sochi Olympiad in the
hopes that they will be able to attract international attention to their plight
(kavkaz-uzel.ru/articles/237334/).
Was Report about
‘Black Widows’ in Sochi an FSB Provocation? Some in Sochi have suggested
that a story about the presence of the so-called “Black Widows” in that city, a
story the FSB has since disowned, was given to Aleksandr Valov, editor of
Blogsochi.ru, in order to discredit his independent reporting (kavkaz-uzel.ru/articles/237211/ and kavpolit.com/v-fsb-oprovergayut-informaciyu-o-naxozhdenii-v-sochi-potencialnoj-smertnicy-ibragimovoj/).
Valov Tells
Putin Moscow Apparently Doesn’t Want to Know about Sochi Problems. Aleksandr
Valov, the editor of Blogsochi.ru, has posted an open letter to Russian
President Vladimir Putin saying that the response of the Russian security
forcess to reports about problems in Sochi suggests that Moscow doesn’t want to
know the truth so that it can fix things but only to ensure that nothing
critical appears. That is not only
preventing the problems from being corrected but is undermining public
confidence in the central government. If that continues, “then it will be
necessary to create a GULAG on the bass of the FSB or organize mass shootings
on the eve of the Olympiad” (blogsochi.ru/content/pismo-vladimiru-putinu-po-povodu-olimpiiskikh-repressii-v-sochi).
Supporters and
Critics Agree Sochi a ‘Litmus Test’ of Russia’s Future. Supporters of the Sochi Games say the
Olympiad marks the revival of Russia, while critics say the event is “an
illustration of the ineffectiveness and corrupt nature of the Russian state.”
But the two agree that Sochi is “a litmus test” of the direction Russia is
heading, although they continue to disagree about that as well, a Moscow commentator
says (blogsochi.ru/content/pokazaniya-svidetelei-ili-forbes-ob-olimpiiskom-sochi).
Cemetery Near
Olympic Park Heavily Damaged by Games Construction. Russian reporters have played up the fact
that the Sochi venues were carefully built around an Old Believer cemetery, but
they have generally ignored the fact that the same construction has left
another cemetery at the periphery of the Olympic park full of puddles and waste
(blogsochi.ru/content/kladbishche-vozle-olimpiiskogo-parka).
Sochi
Cultural-Historical Center Still Only a Skeleton. The Sochi Cultural-Historical Center where
Russian officials had promised that local cultures would be represented is far
from completion. Indeed, pictures show that only some of the framework has been
done and that most of the building remains covered, a la a Potemkin village,
with canvas (blogsochi.ru/content/kulturno-istoricheskii-tsentr-v-sele-nekrasovka).
Sochi Officials
Say They’ll Deploy Sochi Youth During Games.
Sochi officials have announced that children of families living in the
Olympic city will be forced to help out the holding of the Olympics regardless
of what their parents think. That has sparked anger among some about state
interference, despite President Vladimir Putin’s promises, in the lives of
families (blogsochi.ru/content/%C2%ABdeti-nakhodyashchiesya-v-gorode-budut-zadeistvovany-v-obshchegorodskikh-meropriyatiyakh%C2%BB).
European
Federation of Journalists Warns of Problems Those Covering Sochi Face. The EFJ says that those who travel to Sochi
to cover the Games will face violence against journalists, the blocking of
critical online comment, homophobic laws and action, restrictions on their work
and open harassment, among other problems (us6.campaign-archive2.com/?u=312d2086b1b5654e5e6957dd9&id=bc7fccf3a6&e=2bcf09b2ef).
Foreign
Governments Give Advice to Those Planning to Go to Sochi. In an article entitled “Don’t Drink With
People You Don’t Know and Don’t Express Your Opinion,” Moscow’s “Kommersant”
newspaper says that the governments of countries taking part in the Sochi
Olympiad are giving those planning to go a variety of advice. The Spanish foreign ministry say that its
citizens should learn at least a little Russian, its German counterpart says
German visitors mustn’t photograph military facilities, and its French
counterpart says French citizens must avoid taking photographs of any Russian
security officers or police (kommersant.ru/doc/2393190).
Sochi Shaken by
Small Earthquake. A small
earthquake, 3.5 on the Richter scale, centered off the coast of Sochi was not
felt by most people but serves as a reminder that the entire region is
tectonically active (privetsochi.ru/blog/news_sochi/41148.html).
Sochi Hotels
Will Have to Be Converted into Condos After Games. In order to recoup some of their investments,
those who have built hotels for the games are likely going to have to covert
them into condominiums after the games, Russian real estate experts say. The
implication of this is that most of them do not believe that Sochi will attract
the continuing flow of visitors that Moscow officials have projected (privetsochi.ru/blog/realty_sochi/41092.html).
Sochi Residents
Warned Against Manipulation by Media.
Privetsochi.ru published a list of ten ways in which the media seek to
manipulate people, including distracting attention, creating problems in order
to offer a solution, using emotions rather than reason, and knowing more about
people than the people know about themselves (privetsochi.ru/blog/Flood/41085.html).
Russians Joke
about How Future History Books Will Treat Sochi Games. According to some Russians, “20 years from
now, history textbooks will have a chapter entitled ‘The Period of the
Restoration of the Economy After the Sochi Olympiad, 2014-2014.’” That joke
appears to be an implicit commentary on a new book that officials have released
entitled “The Olympic Heritage of Sochi” which talks about the future only in
the most glowing terms (privetsochi.ru/blog/OlympicRu/41065.html and kubantv.ru/kultura-kuban/58705-v-fondakh-bibliotek-pojavilos-olim...).
Drink Up for
Snow and a Russian Victory. Merchants
are selling glasses with various slogans for various sizes of drinks. The marker for the smallest amount is “for snow
and good weather,” an intermediate one is “for will to victory” and the line for
a full glass reads “For a Russian Victory” (privetsochi.ru/blog/humor/40911.html).
You Know You’re
a Real Sochi Resident If ...
Privetsochi.ru has published a list of 25 things that will instantly
identify a Sochi resident from visitors.
Among them is the ability to distinguish an Abkhazian from an Armenian
or Georgian, a dislike of hearing anything about the Olympic, and an immediate
smile if anyone talks about how terrible lines and prices are in Moscow (privetsochi.ru/blog/Flood/40909.html).
HRW Says Human
Rights Abuses in Sochi are of ‘Olympian’ Proportions. In its latest report on Sochi, Human Rights
Watch says that officials have abused the rights of residents, LGBTs and
immigrants and that “the IOC,
National Olympic Committees and corporate sponsors should urge Russia to end
these abuses which violate the principles of “human dignity” and
non-discrimination enshrined in the Olympic Charter, and work to prevent similar
abuses by future Olympic host cities” (hrw.org/russias-olympian-abuses).
Kadyrov Says
He’s Bringing 400 Chechens to Sochi.
In an interview given to “Izvestiya,” Chechen head Ramzan Kadyrov says
he is taking 400 of his co-ethnics to Sochi not because he has been assigned a
quota but because he is such an enthusiastic fan (izvestia.ru/news/564623).
Morozov Says
He’s Been Threatened Since Fleeing Russia.
Valery Morozov, who fled Russia to London after talking about the
demands for payoffs Russian President Vladimir Putin made to contractors, says
he has been threatened with death. He
told ABC News that he fears there will be an attempt on his life after the
Sochi games are over (abcnews.go.com/Blotter/threats-sochi-olympics-whistleblower-drowned-blood/story?id=22270000#.Uuk7yGpyeUk.twitter).
Russian Security
Efforts in Sochi Focused More on Putin Opponents than on Terrorists. The security arrangements Moscow has put in
place in Moscow suggests that “Putin and his security minions are incapable of
focusing their energies” on the terrorist threat and instead are targeting “gay
activists, pro-democracy advocates and other agitators” instead, according to a
commentary published by “USA Today” (usatoday.com/story/opinion/2014/01/28/russia-surveillance-sochi-olympics-black-widow-terrorism-column/4970863/).
CPJ Denounces
Russia for Restricting News Coverage of Sochi. The Committee to Protect Journalists has
released a report detailing the ways in which Russian officials have limited
honest coverage of what is taking place in Sochi. What is particularly a matter of concern, CPJ
said, is that to get the word out, “activists havehaving to take on the
functions of journalists,” a step that sometimes leads others to dismiss what
they say as reflecting their own narrow interests. The Russian authorities,”
one of the authors of the report said, “have cracked down on journalists,
rights defenders and civil activists in a way not seen since the break-up of
the Soviet Union” (cpj.org/ru/2014/01/post-51.php
and wjla.com/articles/2014/01/sochi-olympics-committee-to-protect-journalists-criticizes-russian-resrictions-on-olympic-news-cover.html).
Moscow
Commentator Denounces Turkey for Anti-Russian Propaganda about Sochi. An article in
Moscow’s “Geopolitika” says that Turkey has exploited the Sochi Olympics
to launch a new wave of anti-Russian propaganda, something the article says the
Russian authorities must do more to counter (geopolitica.ru/article/antirossiyskaya-propaganda-v-turcii-pered-olimpiadoy-2014#.UuvJCbRcUUO and natpress.ru/index.php?newsid=8678).
New Yorker Cover
Shows Putin as Figure Skater Being Judged by Putin Look Alikes. The cover of
the “New Yorker” this week shows Vladimir Putin in the guise of an Olympic
figure skater being judged by five Putin look-alikes, an illustration that will
recall the infamous behavior of the East German judges in earlier
Olympiads. Barry Blitt, who drew the cover
entitled “Jury of His Peers,” says that “Mr. Putin is a gift to caricaturists
but to humanity in general, not so much” (washingtonpost.com/blogs/early-lead/wp/2014/01/27/sochi-2014-new-yorker-imagines-olympics-filled-with-putin/).
Poster Suggests
Impoverished Russians are Sochi’s Main Sponsors. A poster now circulating online suggests that
Russians impoverished by President Vladimir Putin’s extravagant spending on the
Sochi Games are the main sponsors of the Olympiad, an indication of just how
unhappy many Russians now are with something that Putin intended to be a
celebration (facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=721105444575208&set=a.368739553145134.90000.124964357522656&type=1&theater).
EWNC
Says Kozak Misled about Expansion of Sochi National Park. Russian Vice Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak’s
claim last year that Moscow had expaned the area of Sochi National Park is
untrue, Suren Gazaryan of the Environmental Watch on the North Caucasus says.
In fact what has happened is “not so much the increase in the area of the
national park as the illegal redistribution of its lands” that has reduced the
amount of land protected from despoliation and increased the amount available
for commercial development (ewnc.org/node/13481).
Caucasus Emirate
Says Krasnodar is Part of Its Territory.
The Caucasus Emirate has released a map showing the still predominantly
ethnic Russian Krasnodar Kray on which Sochi is located as part of its territory,
a step Russian commentators suggest is nothing more than an aspiration but that
is certain to frighten many ethnic Russians in that region and more generally
as an indication that the Emirate’s agents may launch a terrorist campaign
there (kavkaz-uzel.ru/articles/237153/).
Daghestan
Vilayat Calls on Russians to Overthrow Putin or Face New Violence. The militant group that has claimed
responsibility for the Volgograd bombings says in a new message that Russians
will face attack if they do not rise up and overthrow Vladimir Putin. “Gone are the days when it was possible to
destroy Muslims gratuitously,” the group says. “Today, one mujahid could destroy
doens or even hundreds of people in your cities ... The Kremlin gang leaders
make cannot fodder of you and your children,, while they themselves accumulate
billions in this war. If you do not decapitate this hydra, you will not see a
quiet life” (worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2014/01/26/22452703-militants-tell-russia-rebel-against-putin-or-else?lite).
Reports Moscow
Planning to Display Orcas in Sochi Spark Outrage. Unconfirmed reports that the Russian
authorities plan to put orca whales on display in Sochi have sparked outrage
among environmentalists who say that the criticism Moscow has received on this
score “may have forced the Russians to reconsider because at last report the
orcas were still in Moscow (nwcn.com/news/Orcas-at-the-Olympics-241908411.html).
Russian
Bureaucrats Promote Sochi Not Out of Patriotism but to Save Their Jobs. According to a “Svobodnaya pressa”
commentator, Russian officials promoting pro-Sochi propaganda are doing so not
for patriotic reasons or out of an interest in sports but rather because in the
event the games somehow fall short of Vladimir Putin’s expectations, many of
them could lose their jobs in what would literally be “an earthquake” as far as
they are concerned (svpressa.ru/sport/article/81133/).
Organized Crime
Boss Said to Have Helped Putin Win Sochi Games. Craig Murray, a former British ambassador to
Uzbekistan, says that Gafur Rakhimov, who is accused of being an organized
crime boss and major heroin trafficker, helped Russian President Vladimir Putin
convince the International Olympic Committee to award the games to Sochi (abcnews.go.com/Blotter/alleged-heroin-kingpin-helped-russia-win-olympics-sochi/story?id=22295531&singlePage=true).
Ski Resorts
around Sochi Won’t Be Profitable, Russian Experts Say. A group of
Russian experts meeting in Novosbirsk said that the ski resorts around Sochi
are unlikely to be profitable not only because the region has ever less snow
cover because of climate change but also because of transportation and other
infrastructure bottlenecks (globalsib.com/19226/).
Moscow’s Sochi
Effort Seen Marginalizing Russians Who Want to Get Rid of North Caucasus. A conference on “Russia in the Caucasus”
organized by the RIA Novosti news agency said that Moscow’s promotion of Sochi
has had the effect of marginalizing those who had earlier said that Russia
should get rid of the North Caucasus but that that effort had not yet succeeded
in promoting “a positive image” among Russians of the people living there (scienceport.ru/news/Eksperty-Situatsiya-v-plane-terrorizma-na-Severnom-Kavkaze-vovse-ne-tak-beznadezhna-i-ne-tak-provalna-kak-ee-risuyut-angazhirovannye-SMI-8970.html).
Astrakhan
Hospitals Refuse to Treat North Caucasians.
Medical facilities in the southern Russian oblast of Astrakhan are
refusing to admit residents of Daghestan, Ingushetia and Chechnya, on the basis
of an order from the regional health ministry.
Chechen officials have already complained that this practice violates
the constitutional rights of the peoples of the North Caucasus (wordyou.ru/v-rossii/v-astraxanskix-bolnicax-otkazyvayutsya-prinimat-pacientov-s-kavkaza.html).
Islamist Site
Likens Putin’s Olympics to Hitler’s. Pakistan’s Islamic Jihad Union, an ally
of Al Qaeda, has put out a four-minute video likening Vladimir Putin’s Sochi
Olympics to those of Adolf Hitler in Berlin in 1936. It says that as a result
of Putin’s actions, “an atmosphere of fear and terror” now hangs over Russia (11alive.com/news/article/319786/40/Sochi-Olympics-threatened-again).
IOC Marketing
Chief Says Sochi’s Cost May ‘Scare Away’ Olympic Host Hopefuls. Gerhard Heibert, the head of marketing for
the International Olympic Committee, says that the enormous amount of money
that Moscow has spent on Sochi may “scare away” possible bids by cities that
otherwise might have wanted to host the games in the future. He said steps must
be taken to reduce the costs of hosting the games (uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/news/sochi-2014-winter-olympics-must-reduce-cost-ioc-123743098--spt.html).
Moscow Says EU
Seeking to Impose ‘Alien View’ of Homosexuality on Other Countries. The Russian government says in a 153-page
report on human rights in EU countries that the European Union is seeking to
impose”neo-liberal values as a universal lifestyle for all other members of the
the international community” (uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/news/sochi-2014-russia-says-eu-tries-impose-quot-213633426--spt.html).
Visa Problems,
Terrorism and Lack of Upscale Hotels Keep Americans Away from Sochi. American tourist
agencies say that the Sochi Games appear on course to attract fewer Americans
than have attened such competitions over the last 20 years, a reflection of
problems with visas, fears of terrorism, and a shortage of upscale hotels. One touro operator said that few are likely
to go to Sochi in the future either: “I don’t think many people are going to
see this Russian destination they’ve never heard of in the opening ceremonies
on TV in the dead of winter and say, ‘You know, that’s where I want to go next
weekend,’” he said (seattletimes.com/html/travel/2022749340_sochiolympicstourismxml.html).
Romney Says He’d
Be ‘Comfortable’ Taking His Family to Sochi. 2012 Republican Presidential
candidate Mitt Romney says that despite security threats, he would be
“comfortable” taking his family to Sochi.
"There's never been a games I know of that have been so targeted for
specific threats as you're seeing in Sochi," he said. "At the same
time, the level of security preparations appears to be at an unprecedented
level. So I think people can recognize that the hard sites will be safe. The
athletes will be safe, spectators when they're in the venues will be safe. But
it's the soft places you can't be 100% certain will be entirely safe but my
guess is the Russians have done everything humanly possible to protect the
games" (13wmaz.com/story/sports/2014/01/24/romney-sochi-olympics-will-be-safe-despite-security-concerns/4821889/).
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