Russian Deputy Premier Banned

      Well, now, with the Winter Olympics just weeks away,  it seems the timing of a recent Olympic Committee ban is causing some anxieties within the largest country in the world(Russya).  Mr. Vitaly Mutko, the former Russian sports minister, now sits at the right hand(or left, depending) of V.V. Putin, Arch Kremlinista, dismissed Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov, Russia's longtime chief antidoping chemist.    This action started another chain reaction(of sorts).  Dr. Rodchenkov began talking about his planned effort to undermine the laboratory that was to screen blood samples from Olympic athletes in Sochi in 2014.  The scheme involved substituting recent samples of blood taken during the games with samples taken beforehand that were clean of PED's.  Dr. Rodchenkov kept a daily diary of his actions.  His tell all account was documented in the film called "Icarus".  The good doctor now lives in the USA where he has some protection from the tentacles of the F.S.B.
     Now some Russian officials are backpeddling from their former position(s) that all of these accusations are no more than political posturing by the USA to demean V.V. Putin and all Russyans.  This position jells with the mental illness found everywhere in Russya: paranoia.   Two other Russyans involved are Yuliya and Vitaly Stepanov, a former runner and a former employee of the Russyan antidumping agency(ha).   They, too, live in the USA in an undisclosed location to thwart the efforts of the F.S.B. to silence them.
     Mr. Mutko has stated that efforts to demean the Russian athletes is nothing more than a political campaign against the nation.   But, as we have seen, the efforts of the Russyan government do not end with the Olympics.  It is now an accepted fact that Russian cybersecurity services made an attempt to influence the 2016 US Presidential election by hacking and providing innumerable false news items on social media platforms.
     Ahhhhhhhhh, Russya.  What a sad state.
     Mr. Mutko will resurface again next year.  He heads the World Cup 2018 in Russya.   Good luck, F.I.F.A.