"The goal is to destroy": Russian world champion was surprised by the suspension of Russians for supporting the war in Ukraine

Russian figure skater Nikita Katsalapov called the suspension of Russian athletes from international competitions after his country's full-scale invasion of Ukraine unexpected. The Beijing 2022 Olympic Games medalist and 2021 world champion also accused the federations of allegedly trying to "destroy our sport."

Katsalapov said this in an interview with the propaganda TV channel Match TV. The accomplice of Vladimir Putin's dictatorial regime, who took part in the Z-meeting in Luzhniki in March 2022, was frightened not by the fact of Russia's criminal attack on our country, but by the sanctions against the aggressor.

"It's terrible that we have been suspended from international competitions. Their goal is to destroy our sport. At the moment, we can only endure and develop. It was hard to imagine that this was possible. It's sad, we have to be patient. We need to be the best when we enter the international arena. Nowadays, we rarely communicate with foreign athletes. Since the Olympics, we've talked to only a few. They say one thing, we say something completely different," Katsalapov said.

Earlier, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov demanded that the IOC ignore Russia's military aggression against Ukraine and not be interested in the topic at all. He was also ridiculed online after saying that world sport is "getting poorer, losing its level" due to the suspension of Russian athletes.

As OBOZ.UA previously reported, IOC President Thomas Bach nicely put Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in his place, accusing the official of betraying the sport by reminding him of Russia's attack on Ukraine.

Only verified information on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!