December 30, 2013
On the 29th of December, 17 people were killed in a suicide bombing at a central station in Volgograd, Russia. The next morning, 14 people were killed in a suicide bombing on a bus in Volgograd. Many believe these attacks were part of an Islamist revolt against the Russian rule of Chechnya and Dagestan. Identical explosives were used in these two attacks, which “confirms the theory that the two attacks are linked,” says Mr. Vladimir Markin, a spokesperson of Russia’s Investigative Committee. Though no group has claimed responsibility, the attacks occurred a few months after a Chechen rebel leader, Doku Umarov, threatened to renew attacks on Russian civilians.
Volgograd is a hub for Russian industry and transportation. In addition, it was the location of the battle of Stalingrad—the bloodiest battle of World War Two—and thereby it holds symbolic and historical significance. The fact that two bombings took place there, just weeks before the opening of the Winter Olympics, has created tension across Russia. Russia’s foreign ministry equated the bombings to the attacks of radicals in the Middle East, the United States, and elsewhere. It called for global solidarity to combat such enemies. President Putin has ordered security to be tightened across Russia.
The United Nations Security Council condemned the attacks, and, as a National Security Council spokesperson stated, the United States offered its “full support to the Russian government in security preparations for the Sochi Olympic Games.” These tragedies provide an opportunity for nations to band together and support one another even before the Olympic Games.
- Lydia Marcus
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