According to a Pentagon press release, dated January 4, 2014 the Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel called his Russian counterpart Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu on the phone personally to discuss security arrangements ahead of the Sochi games including aspects dealing with the deadly twin suicide bombings in Volgograd. The two also discussed the ongoing efforts to destroy Syrian chemical weapons – where Russia has taken the lead role.

Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Admiral John Kirby provided the following readout last night:

“Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel called Russian Minister of Defense Sergey Shoygu today to discuss recent events in Russia.

“Secretary Hagel offered his condolences for the recent terrorist attacks in Volgograd. The secretary condemned the attacks and said the United States stands with the Russian people against terrorism.

“The leaders discussed the need to remain vigilant against these threats and considered additional opportunities to deepen our nations’ counterterrorism cooperation.

“Secretary Hagel also assured Minister Shoygu that the United States stands ready to provide security assistance to Russia for the Winter Olympics in Sochi, if requested.

“Lastly, the two men discussed the international community’s efforts to remove Syria’s chemical weapons stockpile, and the importance of Syria fulfilling its obligations under the agreed plan” (source: DOD http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=16460).

The Russian Defense Minister didn’t make any public statements on the phone call from Secretary Hagel at least to the Russian press.

One Russian Defense official I talked to (who refused to be named in this report) suggested that it should be clearly understood that Russian has “ultimate responsibility for all security at the Sochi Olympic games.”

To his knowledge “Russia has not made a request for security assistance from any country in this matter”, suggesting that if the U.S. has actionable intelligence information it should forward it to the Russian “FSB” (or Federal Security Service), which is the principal security agency of the Russian Federation.

“We don’t outsource security matters to anyone”, he said, via Facebook.

Russia has already pledged to spare absolutely no expense when it comes to security for the Sochi winter Olympic venue.

Elements of the FSB will be working “overtime” in terms of security at the games. This will include monitoring of all telephone and internet communications at the venue, including those of athletes and visitors, in a program described as “Prism on steroids”, according to reports (source: Russia to monitor all communications at Winter Olympics at Sochi http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/06/russia-monitor-communications-sochi-winter-olympics).

PRISM is a clandestine mass electronic surveillance data mining program known to have been operated by the United States National Security Agency (NSA) since 2007. PRISM is a government code name for a data-collection effort known officially by the SIGAD US-984XN.

With a $50 billion budget, the Sochi Olympics will be the most expensive in history and is preparing to host the “safest games ever,” according to Sochi organizing committee president Dmitry Chernyshenko (source: Olympic athlete concerned after Russian Bombings http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/sochi/2013/12/30/sochi-winter-games-bombings-russia-athletes-security/4256611/).