Only 13 Russian athletes are participating in the Winter Olympics in Italy, and they have even been deprived of their national flag. Their “flag” bears the words “Neutral Individual Athlete.” Seven Belarusian athletes are presented in the same way. They therefore appear not only as individuals competing in a personal capacity, but also as stateless persons — people who are not citizens of any state.

The 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia, which opened in Sochi on 7 February, just before the Ukrainian crisis erupted with the Maidan Square coup orchestrated by the US and NATO (18–20 February), were presented by the Western media as “Tsar Putin’s Olympics.” President Obama and Vice President Biden, followed by other Western leaders, boycotted the Games, accusing Russia of violating human rights. Nevertheless, all countries were invited to participate in the Olympics in Russia. Italy participated with 113 athletes and, of course, its national flag.

Contrary to initial plans, the Russian and Belarusian “neutral individual athletes” were not permitted to participate in the opening parade; they were only allowed to ‘attend the event’ as spectators. Russian journalists sent to cover the Olympics in Italy are in the same situation: their press cards do not indicate their nationality, but instead feature the acronym INO, indicating their ‘neutral’ status.

All of this goes against the principles on which the Olympics are based, as set out by President Mattarella in his opening speech, in which he described the Olympics as “an opportunity for encounter, the opposite of a world where barriers and incommunicability prevail.” Thus, the Olympics are transformed from an event that fosters a climate of peace into one that fosters a climate of war. The latest news confirms the international situation, but this is hidden or distorted by the political-media complex, which also uses the hype surrounding the Olympics for its own ends.

The most serious news is that, having scrapped the last nuclear treaty still in force between the United States and Russia, President Trump has decided to manufacture additional nuclear weapons and conduct underground tests. Against this backdrop, the decision has been announced to deploy US intermediate range missiles with dual conventional and nuclear capabilities in Germany this year. These missiles will be capable of quickly reaching vital targets deep inside Russian territory. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko stated that, if this happens,

“we will create equally effective, if not superior, counterforce capabilities, and instead of a reasonable balance of military restraint that takes into account the national interests and security of all parties, there will be a balance of threats and counter-threats.”

The Trump Administration’s decision to scrap the nuclear treaty, which Russia tried in vain to prevent, also affects China. China possesses around 600 nuclear warheads, which is far fewer than the approximately 1,700 currently deployed (i.e., ready to launch) by the United States and Russia. This figure is also lower than the total number of warheads held by the two major nuclear powers. However, threatened by the growing deployment of US missiles close to its territory, China has increased its production of nuclear warheads. According to estimates, this could reach 1,000 by 2030, and perhaps even 1,500 by 2035.

Meanwhile, the genocide of the Palestinian people continues, perpetrated by Israel with the backing of the United States and NATO. This has been confirmed by Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, who stated:

“What we have seen in Gaza exceeds all legal, ethical, moral and humanitarian norms.”

The news in Le Monde that “over 670 bodies of West Bank residents have been confiscated by Israel for years, in violation of international law: a silent hostage-taking” confirms it. The reason is obvious: these are the bodies of Palestinians bearing the marks of torture and murder carried out by Israeli soldiers and settlers. At the same time, war continues to rage throughout the region. While Trump increases pressure on Iran, the Pentagon sends a second aircraft carrier: the Gerald Ford is transferred from the Caribbean, where it carried out the attack on Venezuela, to the Middle East, where preparations are underway for an attack on Iran.

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This article was originally published in Italian on Grandangolo, Byoblu TV.

Manlio Dinucci, award-winning author, geopolitical analyst and geographer, Pisa, Italy. He is a Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG).

Featured image: Milan Olympic cauldron of the 2026 Winter Olympics (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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