Facing the clear threat of terrorism, the Sochi Winter Olympics will take place amid an unprecedented security lockdown that may make the experience of the quadrennial event far from cheerful for fans and athletes
Russia
Putin Eases Protest Ban Ahead of Sochi Olympics
The Kremlin will allow approved demonstrations in a designated zone
Putin Takes to The Ski Slopes in Sochi
The Russian president is inspecting the city ahead of February’s Olympic Games.
U.S. Olympic Official Says Russia Bombings Raise Concerns for Sochi Games
The chief executive of the U.S. Olympic Committee calls attacks “a preview of what could happen”
Putin Talks Tough on Terror as Security Is Heightened
“We will toughly and consistently continue to fight,” Putin said in his New Year’s address.
Ghosts of Munich Haunt Sochi Olympics in Wake of Russia Bombings
The Israeli who warned about lax security in 1972, and later vowed that Israel would be back, expects Sochi to come off safely, despite the explosions in Volgograd
Second Deadly Blast Hits Southern Russian City
Explosion in Volgograd claims at least 14 lives and comes a day after 17 people were killed in a suicide bombing at the city’s central station
Suicide Bomber in Russia Kills 17, Injures Dozens
Attack comes weeks before country is to host the Winter Olympics
Anti-Putin Pussy Riot Members: ‘Drive Him Away’
Two of the three members were granted amnesty this week, and they say they will now focus their efforts entirely on activism.
Russia Drops Criminal Charges Against Greenpeace Activists
Ahead of Sochi Olympics
Freed Member of Pussy Riot Calls for Boycott of Russia’s Winter Olympics
The singer railed against Russia’s prison system, calling it a “totalitarian machine”
Mikhail Kalashnikov, Soviet Inventor of the AK-47, Dies at 94
Mikhail Kalashnikov, the Soviet general who designed the ubiquitous automatic weapon that now bears his name, died on Dec. 23 at the age of 94. Iterations of the gun he invented now exist in the tens of millions, making it the …
Thanks, Putin, But No Thanks: Few Are Grateful for Russia’s Pre-Olympic Amnesty
Russian President Vladimir Putin grabbed international headlines last week with a pre-Christmas amnesty that included the release of a number of prominent dissidents. Those freed aren’t exactly glowing with praise for Putin, though