Bodies Found Near Sochi Winter Olympics Site

*Russia to monitor Sochi Games from space

 RUSSIA has launched a counter-terror operation after five bodies riddled with bullets were found in a southern region bordering the Winter Olympics host Sochi, less than a month before the start of the games.

Two districts in the Stavropol region were placed on high alert after the bodies were found in four cars, one of them apparently booby-trapped, in the area on Wednesday, the Interfax news agency quoted the FSB security service as saying.

As police examined one of the cars, which contained the body of a local resident who had been shot in the head, an improvised explosive device went off in a nearby ditch, causing no injuries.

Officers then defused another device nearby, the FSB said.

Interfax news Agency reported that  the two devices were packed with small metal elements such as screws to cause maximum injury and resembled those previously used by insurgents in southern Russia.

Two other bodies were identified as local taxi drivers and were found in the back seat and in the boot of their cars. The remaining two bodies were found close to a parked car, Interfax cited the FSB as saying.

The Investigative Committee, which probes major criminal cases in Russia, opened investigations into murder, arms trafficking and attempts on the lives of law enforcement officials.

The Stavropol region borders the Krasnodar region where the Black Sea resort of Sochi is located.

Russia on Tuesday launched the largest security operation in Olympic history, a month before the Winter Games start on February 6.

Security measures around Sochi include special permits for cars to enter the city or access Olympic venues, as well as drones monitoring the region and patrols by army troops.

Meanwhile, Russian Emergency Situations Ministry will monitor from space the vicinities of Sochi during the upcoming Winter Olympic Games, the ministry's regional chief said Thursday.

"The system of monitoring and forecast of the emergency situations has been deployed, including the space-based monitoring," said Alexander Kazlikin, head of the ministry's Krasnodar regional.

According to Kazlikin, the ministry has deployed its staff in that Black Sea city's venues, including sport arenas and residential areas.

He added that over 680 preparatory and preventive operations have been held by now.

Emergency Minister Vladimir Puchkov requested from its regional department to pay special attention to the security of transportation, energy and other infrastructures in Sochi.

According to the ministry, an 8,925-man group with 1,628 vehicles has been deployed in Sochi.

The 22nd Winter Olympics are to be held on Feb. 7-23 with 98 sets of medals for grab.