But, due to security fears in a region which has been engulfed in two wars of separation in recent decades, routes through some of the more dangerous areas were trimmed while the Torch was escorted through the city in a Mercedes Benz.

This follows several other days travelling around the equally volatile Caucuses region where the legs have been noticeably shorter and confined to central, well-secured areas such as stadiums, than the previous four months of the Relay.

Torchbearers carry the Flame in the North Caucuses town of Pyatigorsk earlier this week
©Sochi 2014


For today's leg the route was cut from 34 to 16 kilometres with a reduced number of viewers involved and limited car traffic in central Grozny - while several thousand law enforcers were also present.

The preventative measures come in the final days of the four month Relay as it prepares for arrival in Sochi ahead of the Opening Ceremony on February 7.

The Torch's journey has increasingly been overshadowed in recent weeks by security concerns following bomb blasts on consecutive days in the city of Volgograd, barely more than 400 miles to the north of Sochi, late last month. 

Both Canadian and British authorities have provided warnings about terrorist fears while the United States has provided FBI agents to aid the security operation - already the largest in Olympic history.

More than 30,000 police and Interior Ministry troops have been deployed by the Russian authorities, while measures to restrict vehicle access, the sale of firearms, explosives and ammunition are now in operation.

Closed circuit television and surveillance drones will also be used to identify possible issues, while Russian President Vladimir Putin last month introduced additional anti-terrorism legislation into the Russian Duma.

This includes the introduction of prison terms of up to 10 years for those who receive training "aimed at carrying out terrorist activity".

Bombings on successive days in Volgograd last month heightened fears as the Torch passed through the volatile Chechnya region ©AFP/Getty Images



Speaking on the same day as he carried the Torch, Kadyrov warned of the dangers of nationalism in the region and described inter-ethnic conflicts as "no less a threat to the country than terrorism".

He also claimed that Doku Umarov, the radical Islamist leader who has vowed to orchestrate terrorist attacks ahead of the "Satanic Games" in Sochi, was killed in a military operation in Chechnya two months ago, although this is yet to be officially confirmed.

Kadyrov was also confident of preparations ahead of the Games and, writing on his instagram page, he commented that "we are sure that Grozny has prepared the most solumn and colourful Ceremony for the Relay,"

"We wish beautiful victories for our athletes," he added.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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