World press on terrorist attacks in Russia (January 3, 2014)

Berliner Zeitung published an article by Ulrich Krökel entitled "Ein Anschlag, der Putin hilft" ("An attack, which helps Putin") devoted to the recent terrorist attacks in the Southern Russian city of Volgograd.

"No matter how cynical it may sound, the Volgograd bombing was helpful to Vladimir Putin," the author writes. According to him, the attack allows the Russian President to increase security measures during the Sochi Games and even if they are very harsh, the Western powers won't argue in such circumstances. "The attack gives Putin an argument for playing a Big Brother as he wants," the author writes.

There is one more positive outcome, Krökel believes. "The Kremlin has been unofficially supported the Russian nationalism and xenophobia regarding migrants from the Middle Asia and the Caucasus for a long time," the author stresses. According to him, the new attack strengthens xenophobic tendencies.