Vladimir Putin makes final inspection of Sochi's 'ring of steel' security - Polidicks

[IMG]http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/ZxLMV6XsI6niLY2NXCpv6A--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9aW5zZXQ7aD00MjQ7cT03NTt3PTYzMA--/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2014-01-04T145245Z_669870634_GM1EA141RI601_RTRMADP_3_RUSSIA-PUTIN-OLYMPICS.JPG[/IMG] [QUOTE]Vladimir Putin has backed out of a blanket-ban on protests at February's Winter Olympics, just days before Russia's security forces are due to bring down a "ring of steel" around the Black Sea resort that will host the games. Over 30,000 police and soldiers backed by anti-aircraft missiles, war ships and military aircraft are being deployed to Sochi, in southern Russia, amid fears terrorists who killed 34 people in suicide bombings in Russia last week will seek to strike what will be the most expensive Games in Olympic history. A massive security operation – the biggest at any Olympics – is due to begin on Tuesday, a full month before the opening ceremony on February 7, but Mr Putin on Saturday issued a decree scrapping a controversial ban on protests that was due to be introduced the same day. The move came after Mr Putin arrived in Sochi on Friday to begin a final round of inspections of Olympic facilities and infrastructure. He was joined by Dmitry Medvedev, his prime minister and one-time president, to ski several runs at the Gazprom-built Laura ski resort and biathlon venue on Friday, before continuing his visit to the coastal stadiums on Saturday. Mr Putin's arrival in the city coincided with a bomb scare, with police evacuating a shopping centre in Sochi's town following a warning. Police later said no device had been found, and bloggers hinted that the alarm was the work of a hoaxer. But the incident highlighted how high tensions are running in the city, after last week's two suicide attacks in Volgograd. Russia has spared no expense on Sochi games, ploughing an estimated $51 billion into the organisation and construction effort, making it by far the most expensive Olympic Games ever. But Mr Putin has invested much more than money in the project. Having personally overseen the Olympic effort since he led Russia's winning bid in 2007, the event is seen in Russia and abroad as his personal prestige project. And like any protective parent, the Russian government is also making sure that the world's most expensive Olympics will also be its most secure. A decree signed by Mr Putin in August establishes two security zones - one "controlled," where visitors and vehicles will be subject to thorough security and document checks, and one entirely closed "forbidden" zone stretching from the border with Abkhazia and across large swathes of the mountainous Sochi national park. To access the "controlled zone," which stretches roughly 60 miles along the coast and 25 miles inland, spectators will have to go through police check points where their baggage and vehicles will be x-rayed. This "ring of steel" will begin to fall into place on Tuesday, when Russia's Federal Security Service, which has overall responsibility for Olympic security, will close the entire Sochi municipality and seaboard to any vehicle without a local registration number or special accreditation issued by the Olympic authorities. Meanwhile, hunting shops and wholesalers will have to suspend sales of weapons, ammunition or explosives (and industrial and agricultural supplies containing them). The area will be patrolled and guarded by some 37,000 policemen and troops. The Russian defence minister revealed earlier this year that at least six Pantsir-S medium range surface to air missile systems – capable of intercepting both aircraft an incoming cruise missiles – will guard the skies. By comparison, the London Olympics – which Russian security chiefs previous tacitly criticised for going over-the-top – deployed just 18,000 security personnel. Navy destroyers and coast guard cutters are already a near-constant presence within sight of Sochi's promenade, and security has long been tight at the gleaming new airport terminal built for the games. But what no one can know is whether all this will be enough to prevent a repeat of the terrorist attacks Russia's most wanted insurgent leader has called for. Doku Umarov, a veteran Chechen rebel whose notoriety and elusiveness have earned him the moniker of "Russia's Osama bin Laden," released a video message in July cancelling a moratorium on attack on Russian civilians and calling on his followers to use "maximum force" to disrupt the games. Russian tabloid site Life News on Saturday named two Dagestani men in their 20s as the chief suspects for the attacks. Two previously named suspects, a 26-year-old Dagestani woman and an 31-year old Russian from the Volga republic of Mari El, are believed to have been eliminate from the investigation.[/QUOTE] [url]http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/vladimir-putin/10550712/Vladimir-Putin-makes-final-inspection-of-Sochis-ring-of-steel-security.html[/url]

Money well spent

These are gonna be the most hilariously disastrous Olympic Games yet, calling it now.

These olympics are going to be the start of WW3, calling it now

Aliens, calling it now

The Olympics will go exactly as planned, calling it now.

New Olympic Sports include interrogation, warship and fighter jet races

These olympic games will not be disastrous, calling it now

These Olympic games will have sports, calling it now

People are going to die from terrorist attacks and it will be the Russian governments fault.

[I]They could have called it the Iron Curtain.[/I]

[QUOTE=Sobotnik;43433404]People are going to die from terrorist attacks and it will be the Russian governments fault.[/QUOTE] Pretty sure if you die from a terrorist attack it's the terrorists fault for blowing himself up.

Read Ring of Steel and some good memories of this campaign came up. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TB5fnwFwFi4[/media]

[QUOTE=laserguided;43433481]Pretty sure if you die from a terrorist attack it's the terrorists fault for blowing himself up.[/QUOTE] Or maybe the Russian government for crushing independence movements wherever possible in order to get more clay. They'd annex the Ukraine given half a chance.

[QUOTE=Sobotnik;43434255]Or maybe the Russian government for crushing independence movements wherever possible in order to get more clay. They'd annex the Ukraine given half a chance.[/QUOTE] Palestinian freedom fighters are fully justified in blowing up Israeli buses because they stole their land and are currently crushing their independence movements. ISIL is fully justified in killing Iraqi Shiites because the Iraqi government is trying to crush their independence movement.

[QUOTE=laserguided;43434287]Palestinian freedom fighters are fully justified in blowing up Israeli buses because they stole their land and are currently crushing their independence movements. ISIL is fully justified in killing Iraqi Shiites because the Iraqi government is trying to crush their independence movement.[/QUOTE] It's only by remembering that you rapidly and hyperdefensively comment in any SH thread where someone remotely takes this piss out of Russia that I realized you were being sarcastic

[QUOTE=Godzilla;43434401]It's only by remembering that you rapidly and hyperdefensively comment in any SH thread where someone remotely takes this piss out of Russia that I realized you were being sarcastic[/QUOTE] It's a stupid argument. It's like saying the boston bombing was America's fault because the dagestani guy thought USA was engaged in war against islam.

Putin's inspecting the security's 'ring of steel'? Explains a lot about the gay propaganda laws.

[QUOTE=laserguided;43434287]Palestinian freedom fighters are fully justified in blowing up Israeli buses because they stole their land and are currently crushing their independence movements. ISIL is fully justified in killing Iraqi Shiites because the Iraqi government is trying to crush their independence movement.[/QUOTE] The Russian government invaded those areas several times even after they declared independence and tried to get away from the Russian grip. Why should they remain subjects of that country? The Baltic states and most of the other Slavs got to leave.

[QUOTE=Sobotnik;43434514]The Russian government invaded those areas several times even after they declared independence and tried to get away from the Russian grip. Why should they remain subjects of that country? The Baltic states and most of the other Slavs got to leave.[/QUOTE] Uhuh okay, and then they radicalised themselves with Islam. That is not okay, terrorism is not okay.

i hope there will be tank biathlon

[QUOTE=laserguided;43434287]Palestinian freedom fighters are fully justified in blowing up Israeli buses because they stole their land and are currently crushing their independence movements. ISIL is fully justified in killing Iraqi Shiites because the Iraqi government is trying to crush their independence movement.[/QUOTE] "Chechnyans are fully justified in bombing Russians because they are currently crushing their independence movements"

[QUOTE=Saxon;43433220]New Olympic Sports include interrogation, warship and fighter jet races[/QUOTE]Apart from the obvious filming issues and how one sets up a course, i'd love to see fighter jet races.

[QUOTE=Sobotnik;43434514]The Russian government invaded those areas several times even after they declared independence and tried to get away from the Russian grip. Why should they remain subjects of that country? The Baltic states and most of the other Slavs got to leave.[/QUOTE] But they're not blowing up soldiers sent to occupy them. They're blowing up innocent civilians. Not the same thing.

[QUOTE=supersnail11;43435495]But they're not blowing up soldiers sent to occupy them. They're blowing up innocent civilians. Not the same thing.[/QUOTE] So is Russia. They deliberately blow up civilians, [URL="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/oct/27/chechnya.russia2"]literally[/URL].

There will be Russians, calling it now.

Have some faith for fucks sake.

I'm excited to see these forces in photos /videos.

You can only try to put in as many measures as possible and hope they work in stopping an attack. As for the rest, it's pretty much a roll of the dice to see if it works or not. That said, now Sochi's going to be more known for being the site of an Olympics instead of being one of Russia's chess buff capitals.

I think the local pizzajoint is open, calling it now