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Islamic Militant Group Warns of Sochi ‘Surprise’ if Moscow
Doesn’t Withdraw from Caucasus. An Islamic militant group said
that it would violently disrupt the Olympics with a “Sochi surprise” if
Moscow does not withdraw its “occupation” forces from the North
Caucasus. In a video statement, the group, Ansar al-Sunna, also
caliimed responsibility for the Volgograd bombings last month. Neither
Russian nor Western officials have yet concluded whether the threat or
the claim is credible, but this latest development has increased attention
Sochi Security Zone Extended into Abkhazia. Part of Abkhazia will be included in the Sochi security
zone with special checkpoints set up and passes required, officials there said. That development will
simultaneously anger Abkhazians who have seen many restrictions but few benefits from the games and
No One has Yet Applied to Use Protest Areas, Sochi Officials Say. Officials in the Sochi mayor’s office
say that no one has yet applied for a permit to use the special protest zone that Russian officials have set
HRW Describes Protest Zones as ‘Potemkin Villages.’ Jane Buchanan, deputy director of Human Rights
Watch for Europe and Central Asia, says that the special protest zones Russian officials have set aside are
nothing more than the latest iteration of the old idea of “Potemkin villages,” designed to fool outsiders by
Police in Sochi from St. Petersburg Get Drunk, Try to Go Home. In order to boost security in the Olympic
city, Moscow has pulled police from across the Russian Federation, but many of those sent to the region are
unhappy about going there. One group of St. Petersburg policemen became drunk and tried to return home,
forcing other police to detain them and prevent them from deserting their posts, an indication that not all
FIFA Head Who Said Racism Can be Overcome with a Handshake Says Sochi Opens Door to
Reconciliation.
Sepp Blatter, FIFA resident, opposes a boycott of the Sochi Games because of Russia’s anti-LGBT laws.
The Olympiad, he says, is a good opportunity for dialogue on the issue and “a refusal” to take part in the
Games is a refusal to have a dialogue. “We must fight every form of social exclusion. Anyone who decides
to boycott the Winter Olympics in Sochi will be surrendering on this important issue, just as anyone
Violence in North Caucasus Continues. Nine people were wounded in a terror bombing in Daghestan
this week, one of several militant attacks there and elsewhere in the North Caucasus over the last seven
days. Although these attacks have not attracted the level of attention that the deadly Volgograd bombings
Chinese Leader Will Attend Sochi Opening Ceremony. The president of the Chinese Peoples Republic
has announced that he will attend the opening ceremony of the Olympics in Sochi. He becomes the first
Sochi Policeman Sued for Beating Comes Up with New Witnesses. A lawyer for a man who is suing a
former Sochi policeman for damages resulting from the beating he received last April says that he is “not
especially surprised” that now the case is going to trial, those supporting the policemen have brought “new
witnesses” to the courtroom, even though none of these were involved in the investigation which found for
More Gaps in Sochi Security Identified. Sochi residents say that despite all the security in their city,
Stockholm Won’t Bid for 2022 Winter Games Because of High Costs. Sweden’s ruling party said their
country won’t bid for the 2022 winter games because of the high costs involved and because many of the
venues which would have to be built have no use after the games, a reaction to and judgment on what has
Russian Officials Denounce ‘Apocalyptic’ Commentaries on Sochi by VOA and RFE/RL. A Russian
commentator has lashed out at what he calls “apocalyptic predictions” by the US radio stations about
what will or could happen at Sochi. Their programs, he said, in terms that recall Soviet times, are internally
flawed because they complain both about the security measures Moscow has adopted and the security
Moscow Gay Club Owner Says Anti-LGBT Law May Have Unexpectedly and Unintentionally Positive Impact. Andrey Tanichev, who owns Moscow’s only gay club, told Deutsche Welle that Russia’s anti-gay
law, as draconian and wrong as it is, has had the effect of raising the issue of gay rights in Russia, formerly
Workers Conclude Large Dacha is for Medvedev When Told to Finish by Opening of Games.
Construction workers who have been told that they are working on a resort facility have concluded that
in fact they are building a dacha for Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev because they have been
ordered to complete work before the opening ceremonies. Their comments reflect both the failure of
contractors to finish work on key sites in Sochi and the efforts of officials to hide what many facilities
Chechen Leader Says Doku Umarov has Been Killed But No One Confirms That.Chechen President
Ramzan Kadyrov says that Doku Umarov, the North Caucasian militant who earlier threatened to use
violence to prevent or explode the Sochi Olympiad has been killed. Neither Russian nor Western officials
have confirmed that. At the same time, Kadyrov points out that even if Umarov has been killed, that in
and of itself would not mean the end of the terrorist threat in the region and to the games
Security Concerns, High Prices Keep Sochi Ticket Sales Slow. Even members of the IOC say that sales
of tickets for the Sochi Olympiad have been slow, the result they and others say of concerns about security
in Sochi and the high costs of getting there. At present, about 30 percent of the seats remain unsold:
Fewer than Two Percent of Sochi Olympic Buildings are Green – and Even Those Aren’t Fully So.
Only six o the 352 buildings put up for the Olympics meet green standards over all, and those six, experts
say, do not meet the international standards in every detail. The IOC had required and Moscow had
promised that all Olympic buildings would meet these standards. That has not happened at all
Sochi Residents ‘Praise’ Electric Supplier for Keeping Russian Curse Words and Lies Alive.
Sochi residents are so angry at the local electricity supplier, Kubanenergo, that some of them say the
only good thing they can about that company is that its lies and failure to supply electricity as and when
Regions Near Sochi Told Internet Will Be Slow During Games. One indication of the thinness of Russian
Internet connectivity and possibly of Russian monitoring of visitors to the Sochi Olympiad is that some
residents in nearby areas have been told to expect that Internet speeds will slow down during the
Sochi Maps for Visitors Not Accurate. Local people say that the maps visitors to Sochi are being given
are not accurate. Some of the divergence from reality may reflect efforts to present a lot of information in
a limited space, but some of it may be a product of a longstanding Russian tradition of not providing maps
Sochi Residents No Longer to Have ‘Power Outages’ — They Face ‘Prophylactic Tests’without Power.
For months, Sochi residents have been informed by the media that one or another of their neighborhoods
will be without power because of construction or accidents. But that is now a thing of the past, especially
since Moscow officials insist that everything is in readiness. From now on, they will only have to deal with
Sochi Residents told Not to Hang Underwear on Balconies During Games. Sochi city officials have
asked residents not to hang underwear to dry on the balconies of apartment buildings during the games.
Sochi Residents Face Two New Challenges: All-Night Construction and Forbidden Zones. In addition
to power, heat and water outages which continue despite official denials, Sochi residents this week faced
two new challenges: noisy all-night construction as contractors try to complete the work that officials say
is already done and the imposition of unexpected forbidden zones that cut them off from work, school, or
Rumor Spreads that Sochi Residents Will Get Medal for Surviving Olympics. A rumor is circulating in
Sochi that residents will be presented a medal “For Patriotism” for putting up with all the problems associated
Religious Missionary Activity Prohibited During Sochi Games. Russia’s Inter-Religious Council says
that while there will be facilities in Sochi for prayer and services, no missionary activity will be allowed
Weather Forecasters Promise Warm Opening for Games … Russian weather forecasters say that Sochi
will have a high of ten degrees centigrade (50 degrees Fahrenheit) on opening day. Temperatures in the
… But Pledge Not to Interfere with Weather. Meteorological officials in Moscow say that the Russian
authorities will not try to influence the weather by seeding clouds or other measures, unless something
Russian Transport Minister Says There are No Problems in Sochi. Transportation Minister Maksim
Sokolov says that the transportation infrastructure in Sochi is complete and that there are “no problems”
in the region. Pictures provided by local residents on various blogs call that assertion into question as do
IOC Requires US Goalie to Eliminate Pro-US Slogans from Her Helmet. The IOC has ordered Jessie
Wetter, goalkeeper for the US women’s hockey team, to cover up the slogan s“Support our troops!” and
Moscow Detains 33 Serbians Working Illegally in Sochi. Russia’s Federal Migration Service has detained
Vitishko Appeal Continued Until Next to Last Day of Olympics. The appeal of Yevgeny Vitishko, an
environmental activist who has been sentenced to three years imprisonment for his activities, has been
continued until February 22, the next to last day of the Olympiad. The timing suggests that the authorities
hope to be able to say that the case is still proceeding if anyone criticizes their approach to environmental
Environmental Activists Say Moscow Violating Olympic Charter in Sochi. Yulia Naberezhnaya, an
activist with the Environmental Watch on the North Caucasus, says that “according to the Olympic Charter,
the Olympic Games cannot proceed in a place where human rights are violated. And we call upon the IOC to
express their criticism of the persecution of activists” in and around Sochi. Other activists say that “the
Olympic project” as Moscow has carried it out “has created opportunities to destroy the most valuable
natural areas in the name of commercial development” and that Soch has become “less a celebration of
Trash Heaps Keep Rising as Officials Try to Hide Them. Illegal dumping of construction waste and the
failure of the city to pick up trash has led to mounting piles of trash around the city. In response, officials
have tried to hide the trash behind walls or buildings in the hope that visitors won’t see it. Such efforts may
‘Putin Jailed Us When He Found Out We’re Gay,’ Olympic Mascots Say in Cartoon. Cartoons have
become an increasingly important commentary on the Sochi Olympics. One of the most amusing shows
the two bears who are symbols of the Sochi Games being put in a prison cell. “Putin arrested us when he
found out we are gay,” the two say. Another cartoon shows Putin as an Olympic gold medalist having
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