It is not clear why suicide bombers have now twice targeted Volgograd, a city of one million that under its former name was the scene of one of the epic battles of World War II: Stalingrad. It is the first major city north of the Caucasus, and its proximity to the region a factor in the attacks.
Both attacks also struck means of transportation — a bus and the train station — and both raised speculation that the bombers might have intended to travel farther north, only to detonate their bombs early. On Friday, an explosion in a car killed three people in another city in the Caucasus, Pyatigorsk, though details of that attack remain sketchy, and it was not clear whether it was in any way related to Sunday’s bombing.
Mr. Putin ordered the authorities to provide assistance to the victims of Sunday’s bombing and their families and to tighten security at the country’s train stations and airports, all of which are busier than usual ahead of the New Year’s holiday.
Article Appeared @http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/30/world/europe/volgograd-russia-explosion.html?hp&_r=0