Just a day after a suicide bomber struck the Volgograd train station killing 17 and injuring at least 40, a second bomb was detonated in a packed Volgograd trolleybus, throwing the city into fear that it is the target of a terrorist campaign and raising serious doubts about the safety of the upcoming Winter Olympic Games in nearby Sochi.
At around 04:10 GMT, a bomb reportedly exploded on the the Route 15A trolleybus killing at least 10 people and completely destroying the bus. Authorities further report that 15 people were injured in the blast. The force of the blast also shattered the windows of nearby buildings
However, unlike the bombing at the train station, authorities say that the trolleybus explosion was probably not the work of a suicide bomber but most likely caused by an explosive device left on the bus and set to detonate at a specific time. Nonetheless, investigations are ongoing and the possibility that a suicide bomber was involved has not been completely ruled out.
The explosion occurred when the bus was crowded with passengers on their morning commute to work. Authorities, as with the train station bombing, are considering the trolleybus bombing a terrorist act. While no one has claimed responsibility for either blast yet, authorities are focusing their investigation on insurgents from the nearby North Caucasus region. Insurgent leaders have been fighting to create an Islamic state in the area and have vowed to disrupt the Winter Olympics if their demands are not met.
The two blasts have left Volgograd residents in a state of fear. Reports say that many have now given up on taking public transportation and instead are going to work or shopping on foot despite statements by Russian president Vladimir Putin and Federal Security Services (FSB) leaders' statements that security will be tightened. After the trolleybus blast, an spokesman for the Russian government announced that the FSB director Mikhail Bortnikov will fly to Volgograd to check in on the investigation.
The bombings also raise fears that Russian security forces will not be up to the task of providing security for the upcoming Winter Olympic games in Sochi. Sochi is less than 700 km from Volgograd and just a bit further from the restive North Caucasus region.