List of Prohibited Items at Olympics: No Drugs, Weapons, Explosives or Russian Flags
This is 60 minutes, where we talk about the most important things.
Today — a huge scandal just before the Olympics. Let's quickly open the official website of the Winter Olympics in South Korea. Drugs, weapons, explosives, animals, and, get this, Russian flags are prohibited. Although nothing is said directly about our flag on the website, let's see article 6 in the prohibited items list. "Bringing flags of non-participating countries to the stands is strictly prohibited". It's just about us. Formally, it's not Russia that's going to the Olympics, but neutral athletes from our country. The State Duma called the national symbolic ban "inadmissible". The Russia Olympic Committee addressed the IOC to get an explanation, we'll be expecting an answer by the end of the week. So, the question about whether our flags will be banned is still open.
Internet users were the first to react. Pay attention, on the left, we have the Russian flag, there's no way you can bring it to the stands, but on the right, we have the civil flag of Serbia, and you can bring it. It's important not to confuse them. Of course, they won't be able to control all fans, I hope there'll be no provocations, or, shall we say, no influx of supposed Serbian fans. Now, we're waiting for an answer from the IOC.
As far as we started talking about provocations, let's continue. The runaway Georgian politician and former Ukrainian governor, Saakashvili, saw not only a politician in himself but also an actor and director. He made a movie about "the great and renewed" country of Ukraine and suggested that, for some unknown reasons, the capital should be moved from Kiev to a very small town called Shpola, which is in the Cherkasy Oblast.
Mikhail Saakashvili: "Here, in this open field, we'll build new, transparent, beautiful, and comfortable administrative buildings. Whatever you say, it's unbelievable! Look at it, it's freedom and willpower. It's beauty, it's a miracle! People, it's unbelievable!"
Karen Shakhnazarov, our great director, appreciated it immediately.