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"The unfounded and absurd decision once again
demonstrates the IOC's inability to eschew external influences
on its decision-making," the federation said in a statement.
The federation is poised to "immediately start fighting to
restore a fair attitude toward Russian figure skaters and defend
the honor and dignity of our athletes in all possible ways".
The news came hours after the Russian Olympic Committee
announced that short-track speed skater Viktor Ahn, biathlete
Anton Shipulin and cross-country skier Sergei Ustyugov were not
in the pool of Russian athletes eligible to compete at the
Pyeongchang Olympics.
The IOC banned Russia last month from Pyeongchang over
"systematic manipulation" of the anti-doping system at the 2014
Sochi Games, but left the door open to athletes with no history
of doping to compete as "Olympic Athletes from Russia".
Stolbova and partner Fedor Klimov, who won silver in the pairs
and gold in the team event in Sochi, took silver at the European
championships in Moscow last week.
Stolbova could not immediately be reached for comment.
Bukin, who competes in ice dance with partner Alexandra
Stepanova, won a European bronze medal this month.
(Writing by Polina Ivanova and Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber,;
Editing by Ed Osmond)
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