A Baker’s Dozen of Coronavirus Stories from Russia

Paul Goble

            Staunton, April 13 – To no one’s surprise and much like in other countries, the coronavirus pandemic now dominates the news and commentary in the Russian Federation. Many of the articles are repetitious, but there is enough variety that a broader survey is perhaps useful. Below is a Baker’s dozen of coronavirus stories now circulating in Russia:

1.      Officials admit pandemic is developing in Russia according to what it had dismissed earlier as the more pessimistic scenario (newsru.com/russia/13apr2020/scenariomoscow.html).

2.      Crime in Russia is rising not falling as expected during pandemic, government statistics show (snob.ru/society/v-kremle-podtverdili-rost-prestupnosti-na-fone-koronavirusa/).

3.      Ever more regions demand infected Muscovites go home or quarantine themselves (gumilev-center.ru/zhiteli-regionov-trebuyut-ot-koronavirusnykh-moskvichejj-ubiratsya-domojj/). As a result, people from the capitals now know what it’s like to be “unwanted guests” (rosbalt.ru/russia/2020/04/10/1837733.html).

4.      Rumors and fake news are spreading faster than the coronavirus or the ability of the government media to counter them (ru.krymr.com/a/otkuda-idet-dezinformaciya-o-pandemii-i-za-kakie-feyki-nakazyvayut-v-rossii/30550229.html).

5.      Russians want their government to do more, with some demanding assistance and others demanding martial law (newizv.ru/article/general/13-04-2020/nemnozhko-beremennaya-rossiyskaya-vlast-pytaetsya-odolet-epidemiyu-polumerami and natpressru.info/index.php?newsid=11969).

6.      Volunteer groups emerging across the country to help those in need who can’t get out of their homes (wciom.ru/index.php?id=236&uid=10233, mel.fm/blagotvoritelnost/6825140-pandemic_charity  and 7x7-journal.ru/articles/2020/04/10/serebryanye-volontery-produkty-na-dom-i-kultura-onlajn-kak-lyudi-pomogayut-lyudyam-vo-vremya-karantina).

7.      Publishing and music industries face ruin from the coronavirus and ask for assistance (znak.com/2020-04-13/pisateli_i_izdatelstva_poprosili_pravitelstvo_podderzhat_knizhnuyu_industriyu and  profile.ru/culture/kak-koronakrizis-vliyaet-na-muzykalnuyu-industriyu-280570/).

8.      Combatting the coronavirus leaving Russia even more unprepared to fight forest fires with experts suggesting there will be more and larger ones than in last year’s record season (newizv.ru/news/society/13-04-2020/deneg-net-a-vy-gorite-koronavirus-obnulil-borbu-s-pozharami).

9.      As bad as it is to be confined to one’s apartment, it is even worse to have no home and be living on the streets, Moscow homeless say (themoscowtimes.com/2020/04/10/moscows-coronavirus-lockdown-leaves-the-homeless-out-in-the-cold-a69927).

10.  Russian officials tell Russians in isolation to tell their children stories about World War II and urge TV channels to broadcast Soviet-era films (tass.ru/obschestvo/8209379 and nazaccent.ru/content/32807-gazzaev-prizval-rossijskie-telekanaly-pokazyvat-sovetskie.html).

11.  Moscow media recall when the Soviets defeated an epidemic (vz.ru/society/2020/4/13/1033362.html).

12.  As economy sinks, school children sent to mine gold in Kolyma to make up for absent workers (sibreal.org/a/30549985.html).

13.  And if today’s pandemic isn’t bad enough, a Russian scholar is warning that his countryman face a double threat in the near future because of global warming. On the one hand, diseases from tropical areas are likely to come north. And on the other, the melting of the permafrost will release bacteria and viruses no one now has immunity against (mk.ru/science/2020/04/12/rossiyskiy-uchenyy-zayavil-o-probuzhdenii-drevnikh-virusov-izza-tayaniya-vechnoy-merzloty.html).