Sochi’s Security Threat

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In The Media

Carnegie Europe

Sochi’s Security Threat

The Sochi Olympics may actually be one of the safest places in Russia, but terrorists could still affect the Olympics by carrying out an attack elsewhere.

By Thomas de Waal

Published on Jan 22, 2014

Source: WBEZ

Speaking on WBEZ's Worldview, Carnegie's Tom de Waal stated that the Winter Olympics in Sochi may actually be one of the safest places in Russia due to the extensive security measures. The bigger problem is that terrorists can affect the Olympic Games by carrying out an attack near Sochi or even in another city, he said. He suggested that the threat of so-called "black widows," female suicide bombers, might be exagerated due to a Russian paranoia about this issue. He also cast doubt on the role of the Caucasus Emirate as an organization, suggesting that it would better to view the North Caucasus insurgency as many small groups of individuals.

About the Author

Thomas de Waal

Senior Fellow, Carnegie Europe

De Waal is a senior fellow at Carnegie Europe, specializing in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus.

Recent Work

Article
Rewiring the South Caucasus: TRIPP and the New Geopolitics of Connectivity
- Thomas de Waal, Areg Kochinyan, Zaur Shiriyev
Commentary
Europolis, Where Europe Ends
- Thomas de Waal

Security Russia

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

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