| CNN | - |
(CNN)
-- A claim of responsibility that emerged Sunday for last month's
back-to-back bombings in the Russian city of Volgograd also threatens "a
present" for visitors to the upcoming Winter Olympic Games in Sochi.
Video threatens Sochi Winter Olympics
updated 2:20 PM EST, Sun January 19, 2014
Putin: Gays 'can feel safe' at Sochi
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- NEW: A video on a well-known Jihadi website threatens the Winter Olympic Games
- NEW: "We've prepared a present for you and all tourists who'll come over," it says
- Russia will do its utmost to keep Sochi visitors safe, says President Vladimir Putin
- He reassures visitors about Russian laws outlawing "gay propaganda"
In a video posted on a
well-known Jihadi forum website Sunday, two young men believed to have
been suicide bombers speak of the Volgograd attacks and also make an
ominous promise.
"We've prepared a present
for you and all tourists who'll come over. If you will hold the
Olympics, you'll get a present from us for the Muslim blood that's been
spilled," the video says.
In the video, the men are
dressed in black and standing in front of a black banner with religious
verse that is typically associated with al Qaeda-linked extremists.
Last month's attacks in
Volgograd, a major transit hub about 650 kilometers (400 miles) away
from Sochi, sparked concerns over security as the Olympics approach. The
explosions targeted a train station and a trolley bus and claimed the
lives of more than 30 people.
The fresh claim of responsibility came on the same day that Russian President Vladimir Putin pledged that visitors to Sochi for the Winter Olympics, due to start in less than three weeks, will be kept safe.
A transcript of his
interview with half a dozen national and international broadcasters was
posted on the Kremlin website Sunday.
"We will try to make
certain that the security measures are not intrusive or too conspicuous,
so they are not too noticeable for the athletes, the Olympics' guests
or journalists," Putin said.
"But at the same time, we will do our utmost to ensure that they are effective."
Russia has plenty of
experience in keeping international events secure, Putin said, pointing
to the G8 and G20 summits as examples.
"Security is to be
ensured by some 40,000 law enforcement and special services officers,"
he said. "Of course, we will draw on the experience acquired during
similar events held in other regions of the world and in other
countries. It means that we will protect our air and sea space, as well
as the mountain cluster."
In addition to the Volgograd attacks, there has also been violence in recent days in the southern republic of Dagestan -- the latest unrest linked to a long-running Islamist insurgency in the North Caucasus region.
Putin acknowledged that the games, like any high-profile event, would be a target for terrorists.
But, he said, Russia has a "perfect understanding" of the threat and how to stop it.
'No danger' for gay visitors
Russia's stance on gay rights has been another area of concern for many visitors ahead of the games.
Russia has come under
international pressure since its parliament passed a law last summer
outlawing "gay propaganda." The legislation makes it illegal to tell
children about gay equality and has been widely criticized by Western
leaders, who have called it archaic and discriminatory.
But Putin defended it before journalists Friday, saying that the law was about protecting children.
"We have just recently
passed a law prohibiting propaganda, and not of homosexuality, but of
homosexuality and child abuse, child sexual abuse. But this has nothing
to do with persecuting individuals for their sexual orientation," he
said.
"So there is no danger
for people of such nontraditional sexual orientation who are planning to
come to the Games as guests or participants."
There has also been
criticism of Russia over the limitations placed on freedom of speech at
Sochi. The official protest site is about a 30-minute drive from the
Olympic village and is difficult to find.
But Putin said no visitors should fear problems if they protest, for example, over gay rights.
Putin: No corruption
The Russian leader also
dismissed claims that corruption has pushed up the cost of the games,
saying there was no proof that had occurred.
When it won the bid in
2007, Russia said the Winter Games would cost $12 billion -- but the
government's website now cites the total cost as 1.5 trillion rubles
($45 billion.)
"I do not see serious
corruption instances for the moment, but there is a problem with
overestimation of construction volumes," Putin said.
He suggested the problem
was a universal one, where companies underestimate costs in the
tendering process in order to win the project, and then push the price
back up.
But, he said, there was
no evidence of anything that could be considered corruption, or "theft
of public funds with the help of state officials in whose hands these
funds fall," in Sochi.
"If anyone has such
information, give it to us, please. I repeat once again, we will be
grateful. But so far there was nothing but talks," he said.
Putin put the cost of
preparations for the Winter Olympics at only 214 billion rubles ($6.4
billion) -- but acknowledged that the total sum including the cost of
major infrastructure projects was much higher.
The total price tag of
$45 billion outstrips the $40 billion China is thought to have spent on
the Beijing Summer Games and is more than three times the cost of London
2012.
Boris Nemtsov, former
deputy prime minister of Russia and a vocal critic of Putin, published a
report last year describing the Sochi games as one of the most
"outrageous swindles" in recent Russian history. He claimed that up to
60% of the final cost -- or $30 billion -- has been embezzled.
CNN's Nic Robertson in Sochi and Virginia Harrison in London contributed to this report.
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