During the March of Nations , athletes entered from a central ramp , just as in the opening ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympics . Soviet-era rock music played as the nations alphabetically ( in the Russian alphabet ) paraded through a " forest " of 204 light poles . Ukraine was represented by a single athlete carrying their flag to represent the 23-person team in an apparent protest to the situation in Crimea , Ukraine . Carrying the flag , biathlete Mykhaylo Tkachenko drew a loud applause as he entered the stadium . As the host nation , Russia entered last to the tune of the 1988 song " The Last Letter " by the famous rock band Nautilus Pompilius . The song is better known as " Goodbye America " in Russia , reflecting a famous line from the song : " '' Good-bye , America that I will never see . Will I hear your song that I will always remember ? '' " The final segment of the performance featured a number based on the plays of Anton Chekhov and stage singer Maria Guleghina singing a song based on the poetry of Mikhail Lermontov while riding an ice-breaking ship named '' Mir '' ( Peace )
opening ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympics
2014 Winter Olympics opening ceremony
2014 Winter Paralympics opening ceremony