First the IOC, now Nato: how Putin’s Russia refuses to play by the rules

The offensive, we are told, will take many forms. The first sign may well be a cyber-attack knocking out the power grid and internet, jamming mobile phone networks. Well-funded paramilitaries within Ukraine’s borders will be encouraged to create as much disorder as possible. There will be a blitz of propaganda, misinformation and false-flag operations. And then – finally – the blood sacrifice: the trained young men and women prepared to lay down their bodies for greater Russia.

Perhaps we all got a taste of how this might play out on a much smaller scale on Thursday night. As a distraught Kamila Valieva left the ice after a disastrous skate that would cost her a medal in the Olympic women’s competition, the first person to greet her was her coach, Eteri Tutberidze. “Why did you let it go?” she screeched at Valieva in disbelief. “Explain it to me. Why? Why did you stop fighting?”

For all the deep, voyeuristic discomfort of the exchange, Valieva’s treatment also felt jarringly at odds with the solidarity and belligerence that Russian officials had displayed for much of the past week as their gold medal hope was embroiled in a scandal over a failed doping test. How could Russia fight so vehemently for Valieva only to disown her so publicly after the event? But, of course, that was the difference. Before, Valieva was a potential gold medal for Russia, an asset worthy of state-level protection. Now she was nothing. The motherland thanks you for your sacrifice. But it has no further use for you. Next.

And, of course, there will be a next. If history is any guide, then it is probably safe to assume we have seen the last of Valieva in Olympic competition. This is the fourth successive Winter Games in which none of the Russian