With only 18 days to go until the Olympic Opening Ceremony on February 7, the video claims that two men - named as Suleiman and Abdurakhman - from North Caucasus group Vilayat Dagestan were behind the terrorist attacks, which killed 34 people and injured more than 100.

It appears to show explosive devices being prepared and fixed to two men's bodies, suggesting that these were for the attacks on train station and trolleybus in Volgograd.

The two men in the video, who can be seen with Kalashnikov automatic rifles, also warn Russian President Vladimir Putin they will target the Games if they go ahead.

"If you hold these Olympics, we will give you a present for the innocent Muslim blood being spilled all around the world - in Afghanistan, in Somalia, in Syria, all around the world," the Russian-speaking men said during the 49-minute video.

"For the tourists who come, there will be a present, too."

Russia's National Anti-Terrorist Committee has not yet commented on the video but it bears a resemblance to the one featuring Islamist insurgency leader Doku Umarov - who claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in Moscow's Domodedovo airport in 2011 that killed 37 people and injured 180 - released in July last year.

The video comes with less than three weeks to go until the Sochi 2014 Olympic Opening Ceremony ©Getty Images


He had ordered a halt to attacks on civilian targets in 2012, but in the video urged his followers in Russia's North Caucasus region to use "maximum force" to prevent the staging of the Olympics and Paralympics in Sochi.

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov claimed on his Instagram account last week that Russian special forces had killed Umarov, however the claim could not be verified.

Meanwhile, the Sochi 2014 Torch Relay has begun its journey in the region hit by the bombs in December as it today travelled along Urypinsk's streets and tomorrow will reach Volgograd on the Relay's branded train.

About 37,000 personnel are now in place to provide security for during Sochi 2014 and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has expressed confidence in Russia's ability to "deliver a safe and secure Games".

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