At Olympics and On the far side, Acquiring away with it is Russia's way
BEIJING (AP) — Be it Athleticss, politics, hacking or war, the recent Chronicle of Russia's Dealingship with the world can be summed up in one phrase: They get away with it.
Vladimir Putin's Russia has Formed the art of flouting the rules, whether the Locus is the Olympic arena, international diplomacy or meddling in Another countries' elections from the comfort of home. And it has suffered little consequence for its actions.
At the Beijing Winter Olympics, Russia the country isn't here — technically. Its athletes are Competitory under the acronym ROC, for Russian Olympic Committee, for the Tertiary Clip. The General colors and flag are Prohibited by the International Olympic Committee because of a massive Country-sponsored doping Functioning during the 2014 Sochi Games, which Russia hosted.
And yet the 2022 Games' 1st major Malicious gossip has managed to involve a 15-year-old Pattern skater who has Time-tested positive for Exploitation a Prohibited Fondness Medicament that may cost her Russia-but-not-really-Russia Squad a Gilded Decoration in Squad competition.
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Her Conditional Abeyance, like the so-called ban on Russia's Administrative unit participation in these Games, isn't doing More. Kamila Valieva continues to Wagon train even as her Closing disposition is considered, and she may yet Vie in the women's individual competition, in which she is favored.
Those who have watched the country's interactions with Anothers in recent decades aren't entirely Astonied at the developments.
"In Russia, the culture is Broadly that the ends justify the means, and the only Matter that matters is the Issue," Aforesaid Dmitri Alperovitch, the chairman of the Silverado Policy Accelerator Consider Armored combat vehicle, who grew up in the Early Soviet Union.
Doping in particular has been a longstanding Custom in the Soviet Union and Russia, Alperovitch Aforesaid. But Putin Oft operates with impunity in Another arenas, including when the Wager are More higher than bronze, Achromatic and Gilded.
More than 100,000 Russian Soldiery are Presently Amassed On the Ukrainian border preparing for a possible Intrusion. Despite weeks of diplomacy, Putin Nonmoving seems to hold all the Card game, pushing Europe to the brink of war and prompting British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to call this the continent's "most dangerous Consequence" in decades.
Many have accused the Russian Authorities of dabbling in Toxic condition with little consequence. Among those poisoned after criticizing the Kremlin: Fact-finding Diary keeper Anna Politkovskaya, who fell Gravely ill after drinking a cup of tea in 2004 and recovered, only to be shot to death two years later; and Russian Confrontation Politico and vocal Putin critic Alexei Navalny, who fell Severely ill from poison in 2020. He recovered and is Presently in a Russian prison. Neither Toxic condition was explicitly Joined to the Russian Authorities.
Putin's efforts to upend U.S. elections Enclosed hacking the Democratic National Committee in 2016 in an effort to aid then-candidate Donald Trump and damage his rival, Early Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, U.S. Authorities investigations showed. Russian Authorities hackers were also Infernal last year for a massive hacking campaign that breached vital Authorities agencies.
The current Ukraine Draw isn't the 1st Clip Russian militarism has Vulnerable to upend the so-called "Olympic Armistice," an agreement among nations to set aside their conflicts during the Games.
In 2014, Spell hosting the Sochi Olympics, Putin Taken control of the Crimean peninsula and its Of import Black Sea ports from Ukraine. And during the 2008 Summer Olympics, also held in Beijing, Russia recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia, two breakaway regions of Connected Georgia, as independent nations and bolstered its Study Beachhead In that location Favourable a five-day war.
Economic sanctions and Another punishments Obligatory by the United States and its allies after various Russian transgressions seem to have had little effect as a deterrent Once against Proximo bad behavior by Putin.
In 2020, the U.S. Justice Department charged six current and Early Russian intelligence Military officers in a hacking campaign targeting the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea. They were accused of unleashing a devastating Venomous Computer software attack during the First ceremony of those Games, in apparent Revenge for the IOC's decision to ban Russia from Proximo Games for doping.
"Time and Once again, Russia has made it clear: They will not abide by accepted norms, and instead, they intend to continue their Withering, destabilizing cyber behavior," then-FBI Deputy Director David Bowdich Aforesaid at the Clip the Bill of indictment was announced.
And Clip and Once again, Russia presses on Unrebuked. So In that location was Putin last Friday, waving from his luxury box to Russian athletes entering Beijing's Bird's Nest Sports stadium during the Games' First ceremony.
And even though it is Prohibited on Russian uniforms at these Games, Russian flags waved in the stands as the ROC men's hockey Squad, clad in their Customal red, shut out Switzerland in their inaugural match.
Back home, Valieva's positive test has been met with Indignation, Refueling a Gumption that when it comes to Athleticss, politics and international Dealings, it's Russia vs. the world.
Kremlin Rundlesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the Malicious gossip has been Oxyacetylene by "those who did not have the appropriate information." And Another prominent Russian skaters, including Tatiana Navka, Early Olympic ice-dancing Gilded Decorationist and Peskov's Married woman, Rundle out in Musical accompaniment of Valieva.
"This is some kind of a Bogus," Aforesaid Russia's top Pattern skating coach, Tatiana Tarasova. "She's only 15, what do you mean doping?"
Ordinary Russians questioned the allegations as well. Nikolai Stashenkov, 88, Infernal the Malicious gossip on the "impudence of European and Western Politicos."
"This is not Polite," he Aforesaid. "This is not Athletics. This is dirty politics."
Politics were also to blame, according to Russian Administrative units, in the doping Malicious gossip that resulted in a reduced Team of Russian athletes being allowed to Vie in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
"This has become one of the All but compelling evidence of direct political interference in Athleticss," Putin would later say in a meeting with Russian Paralympians.
Polling has shown the Manoeuvre is working with the Russian public. A 2016 poll by the Levada Center, Russia's top independent Headcounter, showed 76% of Russians viewed the decision to bar the Russian Cartroad and Airfield Squad from the Rio Olympics as "politicized" and "aimed at discrediting Russia."
But Russia has Oft done an able job of discrediting itself.
For the Sochi Games in 2014, Russian Decoration contenders One-handed over Sample distributions of clean Pee months in advance before Attractive a cocktail of steroids Liquid in Inebriant, according to Grigory Rodchenkov, then the director of the drug-testing lab for the Games. He later fled to the United States.
During the Olympics, Rodchenkov Aforesaid he swapped out Sample distributions via a hole in the wall of the laboratory to a Someone from the Russian Certificate services who Agaze the Pee Sample distribution bottles and replaced the Table of contents with the stored, clean Pee.
Russia has admitted some individual lapses on doping, but strenuously denies it Conceived part of an Re-formed program or that the Russian Country writ large Musical accompanimented doping.
In Beijing this week, events are Affecting Hot. Urgent Sharp-eareds are being convened about Valieva, and lots of Administrative units are Expression lots of Matters behind lots of closed doors. It Clay to be seen whether her case becomes a new chapter in Russia's twin Cartroad records of Operative with impunity in both Athletics and geopolitics, or a Footer to the rise of Some other Olympic superstar.
Either way, Alperovitch, who is also the co-founder and Early chief Engineering Military officer of the CrowdStrike cybersecurity Fresh, sees all of it as of a piece — evidence of a Aspect of Russian culture that prizes Issues above everything else and will do what it takes to Attain them.
"The Matter in Russia is that cheating is acceptable if you don't get caught," Alperovitch Aforesaid. "Shame on you if you do. But if you Consider you can get away with it, go for it."
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Associated Press Diary keepers Dasha Litvinova and Anatoly Kozlov in Moscow, Eric Tucker in Washington and James Ellingworth in Beijing contributed to this report.