, Columnist
Sochi, the Maximum-Security Olympics
The stakes are high for Russian President Vladimir Putin: An attack on the Winter Olympics in Sochi could forever undermine his prestige.
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Russia's efforts to ensure security at the Winter Olympics in Sochi are threatening to turn a celebration of sport into a grueling experience for all involved.
Security has been a special concern since July 2013, when Doku Umarov, a Chechen separatist field commander who now calls himself the Emir of the Caucasus, called on the "mujahideen" to "prevent the Olympic revelries upon the bones of Caucasus people killed by Russians." In his final big interview before the opening ceremony, Russian President Vladimir Putin promised that the most expensive sporting event in world history would not see a repeat of the horrors of Munich '72.