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An apartment building is seen in the valley down from the Elbrus in the Caucasus mountains in Neutrino village, February 1, 2013. These days only a handful of the most intrepid skiers and hikers make it to Elbrus, which dominates the North Caucasus region, where Islamist insurgents from ethnic minorities are fighting Russian rule and want to establish an Emirate. Elbrus is the unlikely centerpiece of a $26-billion Kremlin project for a chain of luxury mountain resorts that Moscow hopes will succeed, where guns and troops have not, in ending the violence and easing dissent in the region. Picture taken February 1, 2013. REUTERS/Kazbek Basayev ( RUSSIA-CAUCASUS/ELBRUS )

A herd of sheep browse near Bezengi village, February 4, 2013. These days only a handful of the most intrepid skiers and hikers make it to Elbrus, which dominates the North Caucasus region, where Islamist insurgents from ethnic minorities are fighting Russian rule and want to establish an Emirate. Elbrus is the unlikely centerpiece of a $26-billion Kremlin project for a chain of luxury mountain resorts that Moscow hopes will succeed, where guns and troops have not, in ending the violence and easing dissent in the region. Picture taken February 4, 2013. REUTERS/Kazbek Basayev ( RUSSIA-CAUCASUS/ELBRUS )

A woman passes by residential houses in Prielbrusye near Mount Elbrus, February 2, 2013. These days only a handful of the most intrepid skiers and hikers make it to Elbrus, which dominates the North Caucasus region, where Islamist insurgents from ethnic minorities are fighting Russian rule and want to establish an Emirate. Elbrus is the unlikely centerpiece of a $26-billion Kremlin project for a chain of luxury mountain resorts that Moscow hopes will succeed, where guns and troops have not, in ending the violence and easing dissent in the region. Picture taken February 2, 2013. REUTERS/Kazbek Basayev ( RUSSIA-CAUCASUS/ELBRUS )

People spend time near a ski slope of Mount Elbrus, February 3, 2013. These days only a handful of the most intrepid skiers and hikers make it to Elbrus, which dominates the North Caucasus region, where Islamist insurgents from ethnic minorities are fighting Russian rule and want to establish an Emirate. Elbrus is the unlikely centerpiece of a $26-billion Kremlin project for a chain of luxury mountain resorts that Moscow hopes will succeed, where guns and troops have not, in ending the violence and easing dissent in the region. Picture taken February 3, 2013. REUTERS/Kazbek Basayev ( RUSSIA-CAUCASUS/ELBRUS )

Skiers sit in a chair-lift while ascending to the top of Elbrus's neighboring Mount Cheget, February 3, 2013. These days only a handful of the most intrepid skiers and hikers make it to Elbrus, which dominates the North Caucasus region, where Islamist insurgents from ethnic minorities are fighting Russian rule and want to establish an Emirate. Elbrus is the unlikely centerpiece of a $26-billion Kremlin project for a chain of luxury mountain resorts that Moscow hopes will succeed, where guns and troops have not, in ending the violence and easing dissent in the region. Picture taken February 3, 2013. REUTERS/Kazbek Basayev ( RUSSIA-CAUCASUS/ELBRUS )

A board displaying a full-length portrait of current Russia's President Vladimir Putin is on display near a ski slope of Mount Elbrus, February 3, 2013. These days only a handful of the most intrepid skiers and hikers make it to Elbrus, which dominates the North Caucasus region, where Islamist insurgents from ethnic minorities are fighting Russian rule and want to establish an Emirate. Elbrus is the unlikely centerpiece of a $26-billion Kremlin project for a chain of luxury mountain resorts that Moscow hopes will succeed, where guns and troops have not, in ending the violence and easing dissent in the region. Picture taken February 3, 2013. REUTERS/Kazbek Basayev ( RUSSIA-CAUCASUS/ELBRUS )

A local resident gestures in Bezengi village, February 4, 2013. These days only a handful of the most intrepid skiers and hikers make it to Elbrus, which dominates the North Caucasus region, where Islamist insurgents from ethnic minorities are fighting Russian rule and want to establish an Emirate. Elbrus is the unlikely centerpiece of a $26-billion Kremlin project for a chain of luxury mountain resorts that Moscow hopes will succeed, where guns and troops have not, in ending the violence and easing dissent in the region. Picture taken February 4, 2013. REUTERS/Kazbek Basayev ( RUSSIA-CAUCASUS/ELBRUS )

A woman (R) sells memorable gifts, clothes and other goods near a ski slope of Mount Elbrus, February 3, 2013. These days only a handful of the most intrepid skiers and hikers make it to Elbrus, which dominates the North Caucasus region, where Islamist insurgents from ethnic minorities are fighting Russian rule and want to establish an Emirate. Elbrus is the unlikely centerpiece of a $26-billion Kremlin project for a chain of luxury mountain resorts that Moscow hopes will succeed, where guns and troops have not, in ending the violence and easing dissent in the region. Picture taken February 3, 2013. REUTERS/Kazbek Basayev ( RUSSIA-CAUCASUS/ELBRUS )

Girls walk along a street, with a mosque seen in the background, in Bezengi village, February 4, 2013. These days only a handful of the most intrepid skiers and hikers make it to Elbrus, which dominates the North Caucasus region, where Islamist insurgents from ethnic minorities are fighting Russian rule and want to establish an Emirate. Elbrus is the unlikely centerpiece of a $26-billion Kremlin project for a chain of luxury mountain resorts that Moscow hopes will succeed, where guns and troops have not, in ending the violence and easing dissent in the region. Picture taken February 4, 2013. REUTERS/Kazbek Basayev ( RUSSIA-CAUCASUS/ELBRUS )

A local resident poses as he rides a horse in Bezengi village, February 4, 2013. These days only a handful of the most intrepid skiers and hikers make it to Elbrus, which dominates the North Caucasus region, where Islamist insurgents from ethnic minorities are fighting Russian rule and want to establish an Emirate. Elbrus is the unlikely centerpiece of a $26-billion Kremlin project for a chain of luxury mountain resorts that Moscow hopes will succeed, where guns and troops have not, in ending the violence and easing dissent in the region. Picture taken February 4, 2013. REUTERS/Kazbek Basayev ( RUSSIA-CAUCASUS/ELBRUS )

Female inmates, a member of the medical staff (2nd R) and a penitentiary officer (R) watch a live broadcast of a nationwide phone-in with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the tubercular hospital of a prison in Russia's Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk April 25, 2013. Putin said on Thursday the Boston bombings showed the need for Russia and the United States to work more closely on security matters and proved his policy on the restive North Caucasus region was correct. REUTERS/Ilya Naymushin ( RUSSIA-PUTIN )