Russia enraged by 2018 Winter Olympics ban over doping

“It’s just bad, and that’s it,” Gorbachev told the state sport news agency, R-Sport. “It’s sport, damn it.”

Russian lawmakers, often the vanguard of public outrage, demanded punishments. Some turned on their own. One filed suit against Minister of Sport Vitaly Mutko for “demeaning the honor of the country.” (Mutko was also slapped with a lifetime Olympic ban on Tuesday.)

Several prominent journalists and commentators, notably far-right author Nikolai Starikov, posted memes on social media showing Russian soldiers in unmarked uniforms, writing “just like IOC asked for.” It was a nod toward the unmarked Russian soldiers who helped conquer Crimea in 2014, as the country wrapped up its own Olympic Games.