The fire works are starting early in Sochi, for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games. There is speculations that the Moscow mafia (reportedly led by Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov) is sending a message- they too want a slice of the Olympic pie, in the form of contracting bids and other opportunities regarding the games.
On Monday, Nov. 11, a man was badly injured when a device went off in his hand. The man's arm was blown off when he picked up a tin can that was on his car and had been rigged with an explosive. This is the sixth explosion to happen in Sochi this year.
"Previous incidents include an Aug. 7 blast where a device concealed in a paper bag along the beach exploded, killing two people and wounding seven others, and a July 2 explosion in an apartment building that left two people dead. Another explosion April 4 sent one man to the hospital after he apparently picked up an unknown explosive device. All of the attacks have been small, and only two of the six resulted in fatalities. In at least three of the incidents, someone was actually holding the explosive device yet was not killed, a sign that the attacks were intended not to kill, but to issue a warning. A Stratfor source has indicated that this activity is the work of organized crime — always a force to reckon with in Russia and the former Soviet Union." "Unlike typical organized crime hits (especially those carried out by the Moscow mob) in Russia, the Sochi attacks have remained relatively subtle. This is because the Kremlin has Luzhkov on a short leash. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Russian President Dmitri Medvedev naturally do not wish to see the site of the 2014 Winter Olympics turn into a killing floor and will act quickly to rein in Luzhkov if his group gets too violent. Thus, the blasts in Sochi are meant for a local, rather than a national or international, audience. As long as they remain low-key, the attacks do not pose a threat to overall stability in Sochi, and the region and will remain within the realm of organized criminal activity."
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