Amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared to pretend to be asleep as the Ukrainian Winter Olympic team entered the Bird¡¯s Nest Stadium in Beijing during the opening ceremony of the games.?
The Russian President, who currently has a large military force gathered on the border with Ukraine, closed his eyes and sat with his arms folded across his lap whilst the team from Ukraine stepped foot into the arena.He was also pictured not wearing a mask, despite every other person in the VIP area covering their face.
Beijing is the first city ever to stage both a summer and winter edition of the Olympics. Despite the criticism China faced from human rights groups, Chinese?President Xi Jinping was unsurprisingly given a standing ovation as he entered the arena ahead of the ceremony, during which around 3,000 performers took part.
XI is also one of the few world leaders who has defended Putin's actions over the feud with Ukraine. He signed a document that condemned America for its perceived influence in Europe?amid the expansion of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) and the US government¡¯s ¡®negative impact on peace and stability¡¯ in the Asia-Pacific region.?
Putin was amongst the few foreign dignitaries who attended the impressive opening ceremony, with most of them keeping their distance to concerns over China¡¯s record on human rights, as well as their persecution of Uyghur Muslims in the eastern province of Xinjiang.?
Athletes from the countries with leaders that have boycotted have still attended the games.A ¡®select¡¯ group of supporters and guests were allowed into the stadium for the opening ceremony due to strict Covid-19 restrictions, as China is still pursuing a ¡®zero Covid¡¯ strategy.?
The citizens of China are subject to heavy fines and arrests if they fail to wear a mask.?
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