June 27 – Russian police say they have received multiple bomb threats in the World Cup host city of Rostov-on-Don, causing bars and restaurants to be evacuated across the city.
Police provided no information about who might have been behind the threats, which they said proved to be false. One hotel evacuated was the Topos Congress-Hotel where some 200 guests were forced to leave and bomb-sniffer dogs sent in.
“On June 26, police received a series of phone calls about explosives planted at locations in Rostov-on-Don,” local police said in a statement. “Police forces made all the necessary checks and no dangerous objects were found. Currently, all the venues are operating normally.”
Russian authorities have bent over backwards to ensure that the World Cup is free of any trouble with tight security imposed, not always overtly, to ensure the safety of thousands of foreign fans.
But Rostov-on-Don’s location within 60 kilometers of the eastern Ukraine conflict zone between government forces and Russia-backed separatists, where more than 10,300 people have been killed since 2014, had caused particular security concerns.
So far, the city has hosted four World Cup matches with the next scheduled for July 2.
Contact the writer of this story at paul.nicholson@insideworldfootball.com