“Exactly one year before the long awaited Sochi Olympics, Vladimir Putin went to Sochi personally to see how the construction is going. After receiving a report saying the ski jumps that were supposed to be ready in 2011, are not completed still, while their price has sky-rocketed from 1.2 billion to 8 billion roubles, he commented, “Good for you. Good job”, and then fired the vice president of the Olympic committee. Russian artist Vasily Slonov painted his view of the upcoming games, giving a new interpretation to the adored Russian mascot Cheburashka, and combining officially endorsed stereotypes of Russia with grimmer and less accepted ones”. – Ruskie.info. (Photo by Vasily Slonov)

A woman takes part in an extreme run competition in Zhodino, east of Minsk, September 26, 2015. (Photo by Vasily Fedosenko/Reuters)

Starlings are seen at their nesting box in a private garden in the town of Bobruisk, Belarus, April 8, 2018. (Photo by Vasily Fedosenko/Reuters)

A woman attends an opposition demonstration against presidential election results at the Independence Square in Minsk, Belarus on August 22, 2020. (Photo by Vasily Fedosenko/Reuters)

Festive decorations and illumination lights for the upcoming New Year and Christmas season are unveiled in Minsk, Belarus on December 15 , 2019. (Photo by Vasily Fedosenko/Reuters)

Belarusian beauty designers attend an annual national contest in Minsk, Belarus on November 7, 2019. (Photo by Vasily Fedosenko/Reuters)

An installation with a copy of a tank is seen at a villager's house in the village of Vits, Belarus November 8, 2016. (Photo by Vasily Fedosenko/Reuters)

Women take part in Belarus Cup in bodybuilding and fitness in Minsk, October 24, 2015. (Photo by Vasily Fedosenko/Reuters)