Some critics have said some of the advertising is too inspired from their fascist past.

Some Russian Athletes watching the London 2012 Olympic opening ceremony. P.S. Hubba Hubba

Rosa Khutor Alpine Resort

Russian President Vladimir Putin at a new olympic rink in Adler

'Bubbly Nightclubs' are a favorite destination in Sochi

An Olympic stadium under construction. Those are the Caucasus Mountains in the background.

A memorial for Russian border guards who died in a 2002 helicopter crash

Circassians tour their ancestral homeland

Circassians celebrate their heritage at a festival northeast of Sochi

One of the countrys most famous singers and actresses, Kristina Orbakaite, in the back seat of the car

At the Yermolov Cadet School in Stavropol, Russia, young boys and girls undergo military training

Muslims attend prayers at the central mosque in Nalchik, Kabardino-Balkariya, a region east of Sochi where militants have attacked local security forces

At places like Sochi and Krasnodar, a historic base for defending imperial Russia, authorities have brought back the Cossacks to help maintain order

Children in the breakaway region of Abkhazia stop play to watch a car pass by

Balmy weather makes the Black Sea coast a perfect setting for an elite youth camp

During February daily highs in the alpine areas can top 40F, raising questions about the venue for the winter games. Russia has installed a massive snowmaking operation to ensure that the slopes are kept well covered.

Krasnaya Polyana has been transformed by 20,000 migrant workers, including these Uzbeks riding a bus, who helped build the alpine Olympic sites. Many abuses against laborers have been reportedincluding denial of pay

A migrant worker walks through frigid puddles near the building site of a shuttle-train station on the road to Krasnaya Polyana, where the skiing and sledding events will take place. Nearly every venue for the Sochi Games has been built from scratch. Overall, its cost a little more than 50 Billion dollars to make the games happen