Moscow Times: Crimea and Sochi Might Just Have Made Russians a ‘Happy’ People

Kremlin and Saint Basil's File Photo

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – February 5, 2015) Russians were much happier by the end of 2014 than a year earlier, according to a recent survey by WIN/Gallup International, which showed the country’s “happiness index” more than doubling over the past year. The index – which is obtained by subtracting the percentage of respondents who said they were unhappy with […]

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Moscow Times: Medvedev: In 2014, Crimean Annexation, Sochi Olympics Outshone Grim Economic Situation

Dmitry Medvedev file photo

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Ivan Nechepurenko – December 11, 2014) Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev struck an optimistic note throughout a 1 1/2-hour news conference Wednesday, drawing attention to what he viewed as Russia’s crowning achievements of this year: the Sochi Olympic victory and the annexation of Crimea. Medvedev spoke about a wide array of issues, from the economy to […]

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Sochi: Come in, sit down, have a drink! – Russia Beyond the Headlines

Sochi 2014

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Andy Potts, special to RBTH – February 19, 2014) The friendly atmosphere and general lack of restrictions on what spectators can take into the venues at Sochi make a refreshing contrast to the usual experience at sporting events in Russia. At first glance, the sight of a sports fan sitting in an arena […]

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NEWSLINK: Olympic Official: We Realized Hotel Problems ‘Too Late’; First Public Explanation for Rocky Launch of 2014 Games; ‘Red Alert’ Sounded

[“Sochi Olympics Official: We Realized Hotel Problems ‘Too Late’; First Public Explanation for Rocky Launch of 2014 Games; ‘Red Alert’ Sounded” – Wall Street Journal – Matthew Futterman, Gregory L. White  -February 17, 2014 – online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304899704579388882111244174] The Wall Street Journal covers the various glitches and delays in the preparations for the Sochi Olympics: The International Olympic Committee’s chief coordinator for […]

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Russia Mends Georgian Ties as Sochi Heals Beijing Wounds

File Photo of Sochi Olympics Banner Near Highway in Warm Weather with Vehicle and Cyclicsts Nearby

(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Helena Bedwell – Februay 17, 2014) On the first day of the Beijing Olympics six years ago, war broke out between Georgia and Russia. The Sochi Winter games finds the neighbors on much friendlier terms. Georgia’s government is seeking to use the $45 billion Winter Olympics to revive ties, with Premier Irakli Garibashvili saying four days […]

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For Visitors and Residents, Olympics One Big Party

Sochi 2014

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Ivan Nechepurenko – SOCHI – February 18, 2014) Every night of the Olympics, celebratory fireworks light up the dark sky above Sochi, a vivid reminder that what is purely a sporting event for television audiences watching from home is a non-stop festival for visitors on the ground. Since there are no sporting events in the […]

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RIA Novosti: In Olympic Sochi, Stalin’s Sanatoria All But Forgotten

File Photo of Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin

SOCHI, February 17 (Kevin O’Flynn and Howard Amos, RIA Novosti) – It was once the pride and joy of Stalinist Sochi, a grandiose palace for workers to recover from their labor in mines and factories, a mythical showcase resort for a society that didn’t truly exist. But the Ordzhonikidze Sanatorium stands empty now, a metal sign declaring “Entry Forbidden” strung […]

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NEWSLINK: Sochi Olympics – Tolstoy’s words ring true as Putin goes for Sochi gold

[“Olympics – Tolstoy’s words ring true as Putin goes for Sochi gold” – Reuters – Timothy Heritage – February 14, 2014 – http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/14/us-olympics-halfway-idUSBREA1D0VN20140214] Reuters covers the Sochi Olympics, commenting that at least some concerns voiced prior to the Olympics seemingly have been mitigated: For all the talk of war from Islamist militants before the Sochi Games started, the Russian organizers […]

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Moscow Ready for Olympic Tourists. And Still Waiting

Aerial View of Moscow From Beyond Stadium, file photo

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Delphine d’Amora – February 14, 2014) The Olympic Games seemed a golden opportunity for the Moscow tourism industry, with the majority of tourists bound to pause in the capital on their way to Sochi. But the city has not been deluged with Olympic visitors. Those few who have stopped in Moscow have been quick to […]

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Russians Uniting Around Sochi Offer Putin Return on Games

(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Stepan Kravchenko, Ilya Arkhipov and Henry Meyer – February 14, 2014) Even Vladimir Putin’s Russian critics are rallying around the president to revel in the country’s first Winter Olympics, dismissing western complaints about facilities, security and graft. As the competition in Sochi enters week two, Russia is swelling with pride over its first Olympics since Moscow […]

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RIA Novosti: Post-Olympic Spending in Sochi to Rise to $7 Billion – Report

File Photo of Sochi Olympics Banner Near Highway in Warm Weather with Vehicle and Cyclicsts Nearby

MOSCOW, February 13 (RIA Novosti) – Russia may have to spend up to $7 billion over the next three years to maintain infrastructure and venues around the Olympic host city of Sochi, Bloomberg news agency reported Thursday. Bloomberg cited unnamed planning officials as saying the government is not yet sure of the final bill for the Olympics partly because plans […]

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NEWSLINK: Russians ‘reveal their soul’ with love of figure skating

Sochi 2014

[“Russians ‘reveal their soul’ with love of figure skating” – USAToday.com – Kelly Whiteside – February 13, 2014 – usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/sochi/2014/02/12/winter-games-figure-skating-pairs-russians-love-gold-medal/5431649/] USA Today covers figure skating at the Sochi Olympics, including the special significance the sport holds for people of the host country: After a masterpiece of a free skate, love rained down on Russian pair skaters Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim […]

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NEWSLINK: Olympics: Ice Hockey: U.S. vs. Russia far from David and Goliath Tale

Sochi 2014

[“Olympics: Ice Hockey: U.S. vs. Russia far from David and Goliath Tale” – Reuters – Frank Pingue – February 13, 2014 – reuters.com/article/2014/02/12/olympics-icehockey-miracle-era-idUSL2N0LG08420140212] Reuters covers Olympic Men’s Hockey, with a game between the United States and Russia coming up on Saturday.  While different than the “Miracle on Ice” of 1980, the game is still “must-see”: This week’s Russia v United […]

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Sochi Security Gets High Marks

Sochi 2014

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Yekaterina Kravtsova, Ivan Nechepurenko – SOCHI – February 11, 2014) Security concerns over terrorist attacks have declined since the Sochi Winter Olympics kicked off over the weekend, and visitors say they have not been inconvenienced by security measures despite the presence of thousands of law enforcement officers. The issue of security dominated international headlines in […]

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TRANSCRIPT: [Putin] Meeting with the Public Council for the Preparation of the 2014 Winter Olympics

Sochi 2014

(Kremlin.ru – February 10, 2014) Vladimir Putin met with representatives of the Public Council for the Preparation of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi. The Council was established on the initiative of Sochi residents to voice their opinions on the issues of greatest importance for the city. The meeting was held at the Sochi Media Centre, which was opened […]

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Putin Wins Patriotic Gold in Sochi

Sochi 2014

(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – eonid Bershidsky – February 10, 2014) Leonid Bershidsky writes on Russia, Europe and technology for Bloomberg View. The Sochi Winter Olympics may have cost seven times as much as the Vancouver ones four years ago, but they are achieving President Vladimir Putin’s goal: Russians, including many of his fiercest opponents, have united in a powerful upsurge […]

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Shared Fame and Shame at the Sochi Olympics

File Photo of Sochi Olympics Banner Near Highway in Warm Weather with Vehicle and Cyclicsts Nearby

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – John Freedman, Moscow Times theater editor – February 10, 2014) I once wrote most of what I planned to be a book about Russia. I got as far as sending chapters out to publishers. One of the few editors who was kind enough to reject me personally explained why my proposal was not of interest. […]

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Sochi Winter Olympics kick off as the Games of Hate

File Photo of Sochi Olympics Banner Near Highway in Warm Weather with Vehicle and Cyclicsts Nearby

(Business New Europe – Moscow blog – bne.eu – Ben Aris – February 7, 2014) The Sochi Winter Olympics kick off today February 7, but they have already turned from being a trial of human endeavour into a celebration of the hatemongering that pervades the coverage of Russia. Radio Liberty has published a useful page on its website that simply […]

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Top 20 must-see attractions to make your Sochi experience complete

Sochi 2014

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – c – Svetlana Sinepostolovich, for RBTH – February 4, 2014) Here is a to-do list for travelers who don’t want to miss any of Sochi’s highlights 1. Take the obligatory tourist photo While in Sochi you must get a picture of yourself against the backdrop of the subtropical palms along Platanovaya Alley (Sycamore Alley). Tourists […]

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Deputy prime minister calls Sochi Olympics Russia’s biggest investment project

File Photo of Sochi Olympics Banner Near Highway in Warm Weather with Vehicle and Cyclicsts Nearby

(Interfax – February 6, 2014) Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak has described preparations for the XXII Winter Olympic Games and the event itself as the largest investment project for the country. “Since the victory in Guatemala of the Russian Federation’s bid to host the XXII Olympic Games in Sochi, many people have asked one and the same questions: whether […]

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Sochi Ready for Some, Not for Others

Sochi 2014

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Matthew Bodner – February 6, 2014) As the Olympic Torch arrived in Sochi on Wednesday and President Vladimir Putin personally presided over the raising of the Russian flag in the Olympic Village, the Internet was abuzz with tales of construction blunders and the popular Twitter hashtag “#Sochiproblems.” No secret has been made about the significance […]

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Interfax: Putin’s spokesman downplays Sochi problems

File Photo of Sochi Olympics Banner Near Highway in Warm Weather with Vehicle and Cyclicsts Nearby

(Interfax – Moscow, February 5, 2014) The Russian president’s press secretary Dmitriy Peskov has said everything is ready for the Olympic Games and made an appeal not to exaggerate problems in Sochi. “I’m not in favour of making problems that accompany any event of this scale, any Olympic Games, look like they can affect the entire process,” Peskov said, speaking […]

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57% of Americans Think Sochi Terror Attack Is Likely, Poll Says

Sochi 2014

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Anna Dolgov – February 6, 2014) More than half of Americans think that a terrorist attack is likely at the Sochi Winter Olympics, set to open Friday, despite assurances by the White House that the Games will be safe, a recent poll indicates. Fifty-seven percent of respondents said they thought a terrorism act at the […]

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What to Expect at Sochi’s Opening Ceremony

Sochi 2014

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Ivan Nechepurenko – February 6, 2014) The opening ceremony for the Winter Olympics on Friday will take Russia’s biggest cultural gems and serve them up with contemporary dance music and spectacular lighting. At least, that is what can be expected if the final rehearsal is anything to go by. The organizers have asked that the […]

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Interfax: McFaul: Washington eyeing Russia-US summit in Sochi this summer

File Photo of Vladimir Putin and Barack Obama Seated Before Russian and U.S. Flags

MOSCOW. Feb 5 (Interfax) – Washington is preparing to hold a Russia-U.S. summit in Sochi this summer on the G8 sidelines, U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul said. “We’re working very hard to make the agenda rich enough to justify a summit with an eye toward the G-8 Summit in Sochi in the summer,” he said in an interview with […]

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Gazprom Overspending Dwarfs Sochi Costs, Expose Says

File Photo of Blue Flame from Natural Gas

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Alexander Panin – February 5, 2014) Gazprom is spending money on useless pipelines that makes the $51 billion spent on the Sochi Olympics look modest, an opposition party investigation said. The state-owned gas giant is lavishing billions of dollars on transportation infrastructure, including the South Stream pipeline to Europe, that will never be used even […]

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RIA Novosti: Half of Russians Approve of Hosting Olympics in Russia

Sochi 2014

MOSCOW, February 5 (RIA Novosti) – Fifty-three percent of Russians think their country did “the right thing” by bidding to hold the Sochi Olympics, which kick off on Friday, according to a new poll released Wednesday. Twenty-six percent of respondents in the poll by the independent Levada Center said Russia should not have bid to host the Winter Games, and […]

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RIA Novosti: Study Suggests Russian Medal Count to Be Boosted by Home Advantage

File Photo of Sochi Olympics Banner Near Highway in Warm Weather with Vehicle and Cyclicsts Nearby

MOSCOW, February 4 (RIA Novosti) – A new study on the scientific basis of the home advantage in sports suggests that the Russian medal count at the Sochi Games opening Friday might be boosted by psychological effects. “Game location has a powerful influence on performance outcomes in sport,” British scientists Mark S. Allen and Marc V. Jones wrote. The study, […]

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TRANSCRIPT: [Putin at] Opening of International Olympic Committee session in Sochi

Sochi 2014

(Kremlin.ru – February 4, 2014) Vladimir Putin spoke at the opening of the 126th session of the International Olympic Committee, held in Sochi ahead of the Winter Olympic Games. PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA VLADIMIR PUTIN: Ladies and gentlemen, friends, President Bach, I am truly happy to welcome you to Sochi, which is hosting the XXII Winter Olympic Games. We are only […]

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Putin Rolls Out His English for IOC Opening in Sochi

Sochi 2014

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Christopher Brennan – February 5, 2014) President Vladimir Putin concluded the 126th session of the International Olympic Committee in Sochi on Tuesday evening just as he delivered Russia’s appeal to committee voters in Guatemala in 2007 before they chose a city for the Winter Games: in English. “Dear friends, ladies and gentlemen! I declare the […]

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Olympic Facilities Still Not Ready

Sochi 2014

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – SOCHI – February 4, 2014) As thousands of foreign journalists begin to flock into Sochi, questions regarding their accommodation remained unanswered, the president of Russia’s National Olympic Committee said. While touring the new Sochi Media Center, designed to accommodate journalists who are not accredited for the Games, Alexander Zhukov said Monday that there were still […]

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Interfax: No shortages of snow likely at Winter Olympics – expert

Sochi 2014

MOSCOW. Feb 4 (Interfax) – No shortages of snow are likely in Sochi, said Roman Vilfand, chief of the weather monitoring service, Hydrometcentre. “The snow is thick and firm enough. No problems are likely to arise with the snow, at least through the first 20 days of February,” Vilfand said. Vilfand’s deputy in charge of hydrometeorological support for the Games, […]

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Putin Arrives in Sochi Ahead of Winter Olympics Curtain-Raiser

File Photo of Sochi Olympics Banner Near Highway in Warm Weather with Vehicle and Cyclicsts Nearby

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Christopher Brennan – February 4, 2014) President Vladimir Putin arrived in the Winter Olympic city of Sochi on Tuesday to play host to visitors three days before the opening ceremony. After arriving in Sochi, Putin visited Sochi National Park and an animal breeding and rehabilitation center that was built using budget funds set aside for […]

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Sochi Spotlights Weakness as Caucasus Remains Restive

File Photo of Sochi Olympics Banner Near Highway in Warm Weather with Vehicle and Cyclicsts Nearby

(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – February 4, 2013 – Ilya Arkhipov and Stepan Kravchenko) The Sochi Olympics, designed to trumpet the strength of Vladimir Putin’s Russia, also shines a light on its weaknesses. As skiers, hockey players and figure skaters arrive this week at the games that cost about $50 billion, the North Caucasus region remains unruly more than 14 years […]

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RIA Novosti: Terrorist Attack Possible at Sochi Olympics – Experts

File Photo of Sochi Olympics Banner Near Highway in Warm Weather with Vehicle and Cyclicsts Nearby

MOSCOW, February 3 (RIA Novosti) – Holding this month’s Winter Olympics in the Russian city of Sochi and developing resorts in the neighboring North Caucasus region risk increasing tensions in the already unstable area, a research group has warned in a report. The International Crisis Group presented a new study Monday titled “Too Far, Too Fast: Sochi, Tourism and Conflict […]

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Under the Radar: Eight Things to Watch for in Sochi

File Photo of Sochi Olympics Banner Near Highway in Warm Weather with Vehicle and Cyclicsts Nearby

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – James Ellingworth, special to RBTH  – January 30, 2014) Tired of reading about men’s hockey and security threats? Here are a few issues you might have missed. The build-up’s been going on for seven years, and with the Sochi Olympics now just days away, newspapers around the world are bursting with previews and […]

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Putin chooses Olympic Games venue himself – television

(Interfax – February 3, 2014) Russian President Vladimir Putin said he had personally chosen the venue of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games. “I am especially pleased to see what is going on here because I chose this venue personally. I came here by UAZ [car] in 2001 or 2002, we drove around, came to the bank of that river and […]

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With Sochi Locked Down, Worries Arise of an Attack Elsewhere

File Photo of Sochi Olympics Banner Near Highway in Warm Weather with Vehicle and Cyclicsts Nearby

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Yekaterina Kravtsova – February 3, 2014) Amid unprecedented security measures by the authorities to secure Sochi for the Winter Olympics, observers have expressed concerns that other cities in Russia have been left unprotected, with law enforcement personnel and technical equipment needed to prevent terrorist attacks having been concentrated in the Olympic capital. Some Russian regions, […]

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Sochi: New beginnings when the party is over

File Photo of Sochi Olympics Banner Near Highway in Warm Weather with Vehicle and Cyclicsts Nearby

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – January 29, 2014) Alexander Yakovenko, Russian Ambassador to the United Kingdom, ponders how the Olympics will affect international diplomacy and tackles some of the misunderstandings surrounding the Games. In little more than a week, the Winter Olympic Games start in Sochi, but the prospects after this landmark event are visible now. I am […]

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Rain or Shine, Putin Takes the Blame

File Photo of Sochi Olympics Banner Near Highway in Warm Weather with Vehicle and Cyclicsts Nearby

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Ivan Nechepurenko – SOCHI – January 28, 2014) It has been raining in Sochi for two weeks. The rain isn’t expected to disrupt the Winter Olympics, which open Feb. 7 on the snow-covered mountains looming over this subtropical Black Sea resort. But the rain is the subject of urban legend. Both good and bad weather […]

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A Russian-American snowboarding love story

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Ilya Trisvyatsky, special to RBTH – January 25, 2014) Vic Wild is an American-born snowboarder who now holds Russian citizenship and will compete for Russia in the Sochi Olympics. Born in Washington State, he decided to change his citizenship after falling in love with a Russian sportswoman. There will be several naturalized athletes […]

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Interfax: Some 60 foreign leaders to attend Olympics opening ceremony in Sochi – Kremlin aide

MOSCOW. Jan 24 (Interfax) – Sixty heads of state and government have confirmed their plans to take part in the opening ceremony of the upcoming Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov said. “A very large number of leaders have given their consent. We have counted about 60 heads of state and government,” Ushakov told journalists on Friday. […]

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U.S.-Russian Sochi Cooperation ‘Subject to Mistrust’

File Photo of Sochi Olympics Banner Near Highway in Warm Weather with Vehicle and Cyclicsts Nearby

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Yekaterina Kravtsova – January 23, 2014) As the U.S. expressed concern over the safety of the upcoming Winter Olympic Games in Sochi and offered to send its own warships to assist in case of a terrorist threat, observers said that cooperation between U.S. and Russian security agencies on the matter is not much more than […]

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Interfax: Terror threat at Sochi Olympics not greater than at other Olympics – Medvedev

File Photo of Sochi Olympics Banner Near Highway in Warm Weather with Vehicle and Cyclicsts Nearby

(Interfax – January 23, 2014) The security threats facing next month’s Winter Olympic Games in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi are not much more serious that those at the Olympic Games in other countries. “Frankly, I don’t think that the threat is greater at the Sochi Olympics than at other Olympics in other countries. We live in a […]

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RIA Novosti: US Offers Russia Security Support for Sochi Olympics

File Photo of Sochi Olympics Banner Near Highway in Warm Weather with Vehicle and Cyclicsts Nearby

MOSCOW, January 21 (RIA Novosti) ­ American military assets have been offered to bolster security for the upcoming Sochi Olympic Games scheduled to open in less than three weeks, the Pentagon said Monday. “Air and naval assets, to include two Navy ships in the Black Sea, will be available if requested,” press secretary Rear Admiral John F. Kirby said in […]

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Security Concerns Mount As Sochi Olympic Opening Nears

File Photo of Sochi Olympics Banner Near Highway in Warm Weather with Vehicle and Cyclicsts Nearby

(RFE/RL – rferl.org –  Robert Coalson – January 21, 2014) Security forces in the Black Sea Russian city of Sochi are looking for a woman from the North Caucasus whom they believe might be planning a terrorist attack during next month’s winter Olympic games. Officials are distributing photos of 22-year-old Ruzanna Ibragimova, reportedly the widow of an alleged North Caucasus […]

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Upsurge in Terrorism in Russia ‘Not Just about Sochi’ and Won’t End with Olympiad, Analyst Says

File Photo of Sochi Olympics Banner Near Highway in Warm Weather with Vehicle and Cyclicsts Nearby

(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, January 20, 2104) Most commentaries in Moscow and the West have argued that the recent terrorist actions in Volgograd were undertaken to disrupt the Sochi Olympics, a suggestion that some in the Russian capital have invoked to justify even tighter security for that competition. But even if those behind the attacks are […]

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Russia Beyond the Headlines: Putin says Sochi visitors will see a new Russia

File Photo of Sochi Olympics Banner Near Highway in Warm Weather with Vehicle and Cyclicsts Nearby

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Nikolay Surkov, RBTH – January 20, 2014) Russia will welcome all participants and guests of the Sochi Olympics irrespective of their sexuality, President Vladimir Putin has said to domestic and foreign media President Vladimir Putin is promising that Sochi’s Olympic Games will be a success and the world will see what a great […]

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‘Not a Single Complaint’ About Sochi Preparations

File Photo of Sochi Olympics Banner Near Highway in Warm Weather with Vehicle and Cyclicsts Nearby

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Yekaterina Kravtsova – January 17, 2014) Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak said Thursday that there had been no misuse of funds allocated for the upcoming 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, with only 99 billion rubles from the overall price tag of 214 billion rubles taken out of the state budget. News reports had earlier put […]

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RIA Novosti: US Team Looks to Continue Resurgence at Sochi Olympics

File Photo of Sochi Olympics Banner Near Highway in Warm Weather with Vehicle and Cyclicsts Nearby

WASHINGTON, January 13 (By Carl Schreck for RIA Novosti) ­ The United States is a serious contender to top the medals table at the Winter Olympics in Sochi next month after a record-setting performance in Vancouver four years ago, but its prospects on Olympic snow and ice weren’t always so promising. Following a dismal performance at the 1988 Winter Games […]

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