Covid Infections Now Increasing in Every Region of the Russian Federation

Paul Goble

            Staunton, June 29 – It is still possible to speak about hotspots like Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Buryatia, but as of today, coronavirus infections are increasing in number in every single one of Russia’s more than 80 federal subjects, leading to more restrictions and outpacing ability of medical system to help the population (regnum.ru/news/3308618.html, regnum.ru/news/3308653.html and themoscowtimes.com/2021/06/29/demand-finally-outstrips-supply-in-russias-vaccination-race-a74371).

            Today, Russian officials reported registering 20,616 new cases of infection and 652 new deaths from the coronavirus; and experts pointed out that despite having a far smaller population, the Russian Federation has suffered more deaths from the pandemic than have the combined member countries of the EU (t.me/COVID2019_official/3168 and newizv.ru/article/general/29-06-2021/statistika-neumolima-v-rossii-ot-kovida-umiraet-bolshe-lyudey-chem-vo-vsey-evrope).

            The Kremlin and the Russian government continue to act as if they have nothing to do with restrictions, placing all the responsibility on the regions despite obvious signals from the center as to what Moscow expects the regions to do (regnum.ru/news/3308386.html and regnum.ru/news/3308520.html and mk.ru/social/2021/06/29/vlast-pytaetsya-snyat-s-sebya-otvetstvennost-za-proval-vakcinacii.html).

            But regions, cities and villages are taking increasingly draconian steps to protect themselves. One measure of this is that at present, approximately a million Russians are in forced self-isolation of one kind or another (regnum.ru/news/3308655.html).

            The number of Russians seeking vaccination is increasing, but despite expert warnings against such a step, the central government is now talking about seeking to get the shots not to 60 percent of the population but only 30 percent, counting on infections and recoveries to boost Russia to herd immunity (regnum.ru/news/3307912.html).

            In part, this is because the authorities are finding it ever more difficult to attract many Russians to get the shots even with increasingly large prizes and the imposition of punishments; but many are suggesting, it is also about saving the government money (regnum.ru/news/3307986.html, ehorussia.com/new/node/23773 and realtribune.ru/vlast-ne-zhelaet-izlishne-tratitsya-na-vakcinaciju).

            On the economic front, radical sociologist Boris Kagarlitsky says that the pandemic has become “the last alibi” the powers that be have in their continuing efforts to divert attention from the failures they are responsible for (regnum.ru/news/3308643.html). One new example: the introduction of QR cards has sent visits to restaurants plummeting and now threatens the destruction of many businesses in that sector (msk.kp.ru/daily/28297/4436537/).

            Meanwhile, in other pandemic-related developments in Russia today,

·         United Russia deputies are fighting off calls to investigate the government’s response to the pandemic, claiming that initially no one knew what the coronavirus would do and now Moscow is doing everything right (regnum.ru/news/3308329.html).

·         Analysts are suggesting that the current upsurge will have a negative impact on support for the party of power in the upcoming Duma elections (rosbalt.ru/piter/2021/06/29/1908941.html).

·         And others are warning that the new calls for those vaccinated almost a year ago to get booster shots will only extend the impact of the pandemic and raise even more questions in the public mind about what the authorities have been doing (kasparov.ru/material.php?id=60DA429B1A9F7).