SOCHI, Russia — The Russian deputy prime minister says the level of security threats is "the same in Sochi as in Boston," the second day in a row that a Russian official has invoked the site of last year’s marathon bombings.
Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak made the remark Thursday at a news conference. He said Russia could guarantee the safety of Olympic athletes and fans "as well as any government can at any public event."
"I’m sure the security level in Sochi is no worse than in New York, Washington or Boston," he added.
A day earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin invoked Boston in saying that security was always a concern at major sporting events.
"For example, in the United States, at the marathon, people died not so long ago," he said.
The two brothers accused of carrying out the Boston bombings were raised in Dagestan, several hundred miles from Sochi. Militants from that part of the country have also vowed to attack the Sochi Olympics.
