Russia yesterday said its Sochi Winter Olympics were as safe as any place in the West from militant attacks after Washington issued a warning to airports and some airlines that toothpaste tubes could be used to make a bomb on a Russia-bound plane.
Russian forces are on high alert over threats by Islamist militant groups based in the nearby north Caucasus to attack the Games, which begin today. Twin suicide bombings killed at least 34 people in December in Volgograd, about 700km northeast of Sochi.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak, speaking on the eve of the opening ceremony, told journalists in Sochi that Russian security services were working with colleagues from Europe and North America.
“There is no reason to believe that the level of danger in Sochi is greater than at any other point on the planet, be it Boston, London, New York or Washington,” he said.
“We can guarantee the safety of people as well as any other government hosting any mass event,” he said, speaking through a translator.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, who launched a war to crush a rebellion in nearby Chechnya in 1999, has staked his reputation on the Games, which at a cost of about US$50 billion will be the most expensive in Olympic history.
Islamist guerrillas seeking an independent Islamic state in Chechnya and neighboring regions of southern Russia, have aimed threats at the Games, which they argue take place on land seized from Caucasus tribes in the 19th century.
Despite a “ring of steel” around venues and about 37,000 security personnel on alert, Russian forces fear a woman suspected of planning a suicide bombing may have slipped through.
However, security officials believe the risk of an attack is far greater elsewhere in Russia than in Sochi or the Caucasus mountain cluster nearby.
US President Barack Obama has said he believed Sochi was safe, but behind the scenes there has been tension between Russian and US officials, including over concerns that the host nation might react with excessive force in the case of an attack and endanger civilian lives.
A senior US security official said on Wednesday that Washington had issued a warning to airports and some airlines flying to Russia for the Olympics to watch for toothpaste tubes that could hold ingredients to make a bomb on a plane.
The official did not say why such a specific warning was being issued now. Airlines and airports have been aware for several years of the dangers of bombs being concocted on aircraft from liquids smuggled aboard and have strictly limited the carriage of all liquids and pastes by passengers.
Putin, accused in the West of abusing the rights of minorities and of critics, faces other hazards at the Games.
His legacy could be tarnished by rows over anti-gay propaganda laws — which athletes, rights groups and political leaders have condemned — allegations of corruption, cost overruns and concerns over security.
Organizers have also been scrambling to deal with teething problems, including complaints about accommodation and an outcry over the fate of stray dogs being rounded up in Sochi.
Russia’s contentious “gay propaganda” law was again in the spotlight yesterday, when UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned discrimination and attacks on people based on their sexual orientation.
“Hatred of any kind must have no place in the 21st century,” he said, addressing an International Olympic Committee session in Sochi.
Russia, hosting a Winter Games for the first time, has come under mounting criticism since the government passed legislation last year which critics say curtails rights of homosexuals and discriminates against them.
“We must oppose the arrests, imprisonments and discriminatory restrictions they face,” Ban said.
Putin has defended the law as protecting minors and said homosexuals will not face discriminated at the Sochi Olympics.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source