A Communist lawmaker is suing Russia's former sports minister for ‘humiliating’ the country

Communist State Duma deputy Valery Rashkin has filed a lawsuit in a Moscow district court against Deputy Prime Minister and former long-time Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko.

According to the magazine RBC, Rashkin says he is “shocked and outraged” by the IOC’s decision to ban Russia’s national team from next year’s Winter Olympics, and believes that Mutko failed in his duties as sports minister to uphold the country’s right to compete in South Korea. The Duma deputy is demanding that Mutko resign and apologize for “humiliating the country.”

The IOC’s ruling against Russia, announced on December 5, includes a lifetime ban on Vitaly Mutko from all official Olympic events.

After the IOC’s announcement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Russia’s response will focus on protecting its athletes, not punishing state officials.