Ukrainian Commentator Says Putin Likely Infected with Coronavirus

Paul Goble

            Staunton, Sept. 18 – Ukrainian analyst Ivan Yakovina says the Kremlin reporting about Vladimir Putin’s decision to go into self-isolation probably means that he is infected with the coronavirus as it seems highly improbable large numbers of his staff are ill and he would not be (nv.ua/opinion/rossiya-pochemu-putin-na-samoizolyacii-yakovina-novosti-rossii-50184025.html ).

            However that may be, today, for the first time since August, Russian officials reported registering more than 20,000 new infections in one day (20,329). They also reported registering 799 new deaths from the coronavirus over the last 24 hours as the pandemic continues to ebb and flow around the country (t.me/stopcoronavirusrussia/5725, meduza.io/news/2021/09/18/v-rossii-vpervye-s-avgusta-zaregistrirovali-bolee-20-tysyach-zabolevshih-kovidom-za-sutki and regnum.ru/news/society/3369923.html).

            Moscow oblast replaced Chechnya among the top three regions in terms of vaccination (rbc.ru/society/18/09/2021/61449ef99a79471589865303), and Moscow officials said infections had increased in the capital because of the return of people from their dachas and the reopening of schools (rbc.ru/society/18/09/2021/5e2fe9459a79479d102bada6).

            Muscovites did receive one piece of good news. As people have gotten vaccinated, more of them are using public transport to move about. As a result, those who drive are finding it easier to locate parking spaces when they do drive (superjob.ru/research/articles/113068/parkovatsya-v-moskve-stalo-chut-legche/).

            And a new analysis of Duma operations concludes that the legislature has been working ever more closely with the executive branch in the preparation and approval of laws since the start of the pandemic, a process leaders of both have been encouraging (ridl.io/ru/chrezvychajnoe-zakonotvorchestvo/).