Biathlete Mykhaylo Tkachenko of Ukraine bears the flag as he enters the stadium during the opening ceremony of the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games.
Ukraine sent 31 athletes to the games in Sochi but only one athlete participated in the opening ceremony. Tkachenko was met with a huge cheers as he entered the stadium.
Russia is holding the games in the Black Sea resort of Sochi at a time when it is being criticised for its actions in Ukraine’s southern region of Crimea, where the west accuses Russia of seizing military and government institutions.
Thomas Bach, the president of the International Olympic Committee, shares a glass of champagne with Mr Putin prior to the opening ceremony.
Fireworks mark the beginning of the opening ceremony of the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games at Fisht Olympic Stadium.
Spectators pose with Russian and Ukrainian flags at the opening ceremony. With the eyes of the world turned on Ukraine and Crimea, the 2014 Winter Paralympics opened across the Black Sea, in the Russian resort of Sochi.