A bomb ripped apart a bus in the southern Russian city of Volgograd on Monday, killing at least 14 people in the second deadly attack blamed on suicide bombers in the southern Russian city in 24 hours and raising fears of Islamist attacks on the Winter Olympics in February.
On Sunday, a suicide bomber killed 17 people and injured dozens at a railway station in Volgograd.
Noone claimed responsibility but they came several months after the leader of a Chechen separatist group
pledged violence to disrupt the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics that begin on
February 7. Russia's Foreign Affairs Ministry said both explosions were terrorist attacks.
Volgograd, once called Stalingrad, is a major rail hub in southern Russia and a main transit
point for people traveling by train to Sochi on the Black Sea, just over
600 miles (1,000 kilometers) to the southwest.
International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach called the recent bombings “a despicable attack on innocent people and the entire Olympic Movement joins me in utterly condemning this cowardly act. Our thoughts are with the loved ones of the victims.”
I have personally written to the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, to express our condolences to the Russian people and our confidence in the Russian authorities to deliver safe and secure Games in Sochi. I am certain that everything will be done to ensure the security of the athletes and all the participants of the Olympic Games.”
Sadly terrorism is a global disease but it must never be allowed to triumph. The Olympic Games are about bringing people from all backgrounds and beliefs together to overcome our differences in a peaceful way. The many declarations of support and solidarity from the international community make me confident that this message of tolerance will also be delivered by the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi.”
The United States on Monday condemned the Volgograd attacks and offered
its “full support to the Russian government in security preparations for
the Sochi Olympic Games,” National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin
Hayden said in a statement.
“We would welcome the opportunity for
closer cooperation for the safety of the athletes, spectators, and other
participants,” Hayden said.
“This strike, which was cynically planned for the period of preparations
for New Year's celebrations, is one more attempt by terrorists to open a
domestic front, sow panic and chaos, and trigger religious strife and
conflicts in Russian society,” said a statement Monday by Russia's
Foreign Affairs Ministry.
“We will not back down and will
continue our tough and consistent offensive” against terrorists, the
ministry's statement said, adding that such an enemy “can only be
stopped by joint efforts” involving the international community.
