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The nation that just banned any public gathering that its president doesn’t like is trying to appear open and welcoming to visitors prior to the 2014 Winter Olympics.
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The heavy gates of the Kremlin’s Spasskaya Tower were swung open more than 50 times to film a 30-second promotional clip for the Sochi Olympics.
Although Kremlin security was aghast at the endeavor, the effort was deemed essential to improving Russia’s image in the world, said Denis Yershov, regional projects director at Media Arts, which was responsible for the Olympic city’s marketing campaign.