At first glance, in the photo uploaded to the official Telegram channel by Dina and Arina Averina, the viewer sees the two Russian star gymnasts happily looking at the camera.

The figure skaters Nikita Kazalapov and Viktoria Sinizina are no less beaming at the side of the twins.

Alexander Davydov

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A closer look reveals that Dina Averina, Kazalopov and Sinizina are still proudly wearing their Olympic medals around their necks.

But it's only when you look at the photo a little longer that you notice an inconsistency: blurry spots on the jackets of the siblings and Kazalapow.

As if someone had tried in a clumsy way to touch up something.

To understand what fell victim to this kind of self-censorship, it's worth looking at the context in which the picture was taken - during the celebrations of Crimea's return to Russia.

Last Friday, the eighth anniversary of the illegal annexation of the peninsula was celebrated in Moscow's Luzhniki Olympic Stadium under the motto "For peace, for Russia, for the President" and in the presence of more than 100,000 spectators.

President Vladimir Putin, dressed casually in a turtleneck sweater and coat, gave a patriotic speech to the audience to fight against alleged National Socialism and for Russia.

Among the invited guests were several well-known Russian politicians, musicians and actors, as well as some of the country's most successful athletes.

Including Kazalapov and the Averina twins.

In shared pictures of the event, the athletes wore jackets that featured the infamous "Z" symbol.

According to a statement by the Russian Ministry of Defense, this should stand for the exclamation "Za pobyedu", which translates as "For Victory" in reference to the war against Ukraine, which is commonly referred to in Russia as a "special military operation".

In the case of Kazalapov and the Averina twins, the “Z” sign “disappeared” from the photo a little later, but approval for the tenor of the March 18 event is hard to miss.

On his Telegram channel, Kazalapov enthusiastically compared taking part in the celebration in Moscow with taking part in the Olympic Games.

In a video in which the Beijing Olympic champion filmed himself, the "Z" sign was again clearly visible.

The short clip also includes a recording of Kazalapov's speech at Luzhniki Stadium on sport as a symbol of international peace.

"It is important to me to take part in international competitions again, under the flag of my homeland," he says in it.

“Sport knows no borders.

Sport stands for peace.

Sport is the friendship between athletes of all nations.”

Cross-country skier Alexander Bolshunov was photographed at the same event in Moscow, but Russian media noticed he refrained from wearing the controversial sign, even though Bolshunov is a member of the Russian National Guard.

A few weeks ago, however, the multiple Olympic champion felt the consequences of a very personal photo controversy.

The winter sportsman had published pictures in which he could be seen in a Soviet ski suit.

These are said to have been created for a local museum.

As the Russian online sports portal "Championat" reported, the French ski manufacturer Rossignol then terminated its cooperation with Bolschunov, as it was considered inappropriate to display this historical period in the current context of the war in Ukraine.

At first glance, this may seem like a hard blow for Bolshunov, since according to his coach there is currently no Russian alternative for the equipment.

But if you take a closer look, you can see that the much greater damage is that Bolschunov, together with numerous other athletes, cannot take part in international competitions anyway.

But the pictures from the Luzhniki Stadium are proof of the inseparable and unrestricted connection between Russian sport and the country's politics – no matter what the cost.