Russian Official Says Sochi is as Safe as Anywhere

A top Russian official said Thursday that the threat of a terror attack at the Sochi Winter Olympics is no greater than anywhere else in the world.

“There is no reason to believe that the level of danger in Sochi is greater than at any other point on the planet, be it Boston, London, New York or Washington,” Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak told reporters, according to Reuters.

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Security is high ahead of the Winter Games, which got underway Thursday before opening ceremonies on Friday, and more than 30,000 security personnel have been deployed in the city amid terror threats. In December, at least 34 people were killed in twin suicide attacks in the southern city of Volgograd, about 400 miles from Sochi.

“We can guarantee the safety of people as well as any other government hosting any mass event,” Kozak said.

[Reuters]

Write to Noah Rayman at noah.rayman@time.com.