Russia is on high alert after two suicide bombings in Volgograd killed more than 30 people.  One Russian news outlet says there is a massive antiterrorism sweep going on in the southern city involving everyone from top-level federal agents from Moscow to members of the local police academy.

“A state of emergency was introduced in Volgograd yesterday, so all the organizations and services are working on this. But, as I have already said, to ensure security during the holiday period, the entire emergencies ministry had been put on high alert,” said Vladimir Stepanov, the Russian Deputy Emergency Minister.

The 2014 Winter Olympic games in the Russian resort town of Sochi start just over a month from now, and authorities are racing against the clock to tamp down what some believe to be Islamist separatists from just south of Volgograd.  The International Olympics Committee said it was confident in Russia’s ability to protect the Games.  But terrorists know they can strike at soft targets.

On Sunday, a suicide bomber detonated a device just outside the metal detectors at Volgograd Station, killing 17 people.  The bomb was laced with nuts and bolts and other bits of metal to act as shrapnel and tear through the space.  On Monday morning, 14 people were killed when a suicide bomber struck a passenger bus.