Putin visits Volgograd bombings victims, discussing public security

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday visited some victims of recent terror blasts in Volgograd, a city of one million people in central Russia that has endured suicide bombings since October, discussing public security with high ranking officials. His visit to Volgograd, some 900 kilometers southeast of Moscow, came hours after he celebrated the New Year in the Far East city of Khabarovsk, where residents had been suffering from devastating floods. Putin was briefed about what was done in Volgograd and efforts to maintain public security in the country in a meeting with Federal Security Service chief Alexander Bortnikov, Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev, Health Minister Veronika Skvortsova, Volgograd Region Governor Sergei Bozhenov. Two suicide bombings struck in Volgograd, the first at a railway station Sunday and the other aboard a trolley bus Monday, leaving at least 34 people dead, according to latest official statistics. Authorities have declared a five-day mourning starting from Monday in the region. Putin on Tuesday also pledged Russia "will continue the fight against terrorists certainly, fiercely and consistently until they are all destroyed." In October, a suicide bomber blew herself up in a bus in Volgograd, killing seven people and injuring dozens more.