A man walks past the logo of the Russian Olympic Committee at its headquarters in Moscow, Dec. 6. (Ilnitsk/Epa-Efe/Rex/Shutterstock)Prominent Russians expressed anger, despair and resentment on Wednesday after the International Olympic Committee decided to ban the Russian Federation from the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea. The ban is a historic act of punishment for widespread doping among Russian athletes that Olympic officials believe was supported by the government. (Thomas Johnson/The Washington Post)[Russia banned from 2018 Olympics for widespread doping program]Russian lawmakers, often the vanguard of public outrage, demanded punishments. [Putin says Olympic disqualifications point to U.S. meddling in Russian elections]“Our main goal is to defend the interests of our athletes, Russian athletes,” Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s personal spokesman, said.

Source: Washington Post December 06, 2017 11:55 UTC