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Today it was confirmed that one of Vladimir Putin’s most trusted aides, Dmitry Peskov, was suffering from coronavirus.
Peskov is the longtime spokesperson for the Russian leader and also deputy head of the presidential administration.
He is believed to have been hospitalized in the elite Kremlin clinic known as the Moscow Central Clinical Hospital.
Meanwhile, Russia saw its total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the country reach 232,243, surpassing the number of cases in both the UK and Spain.
Russia is now the country with the second highest number of coronavirus cases, second only to the US. USA
A record number of 107 coronavirus deaths were also reported in Russia today.
Long-term Kremlin spokesman Dimitry Peskov (pictured in December) confirmed that he has the coronavirus and is believed to have been hospitalized in Moscow.
On Tuesday, Russia reported another 10,899 cases of the coronavirus, bringing Russia’s total to 232,243, surpassing the total in the UK.
According to journalists, Peskov, 52, was last seen with Putin on April 30. ‘I got sick. I am receiving treatment, ” he said according to RIA Novosti.
He told TASS that he had not been in personal contact with Putin for a month.
Peskov himself said that great efforts had been made to ensure that Putin did not become infected.
Peskov’s wife, Tatiana Navka, 45, a former Olympic figure skating champion and two-time world champion, is also infected and also in hospital.
“He brought it in from work,” he said.
The former diplomat’s infections follow those of Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, who is also hospitalized.
A Kremlin spokesman confirmed that Peskov was in the hospital. Russian Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova and Construction Minister, Head of the Construction Ministry Vladimir Yakushev are also infected.
Putin was seen today with his close ally Igor Sechin without either of them wearing protective masks. Sechin is now the boss of energy giant Rosneft.
Dmitry Peskov, left, is Vladimir Putin’s long-term spokesman and has confirmed that he has the coronavirus. Yesterday, Putin told millions of Russians to return to work today despite the increasing number of the virus.
On Tuesday, Russia also recorded 107 coronavirus-related deaths, a record for the country in a single day since the crisis began.
Russia announced a record number of deaths today when the country’s official infection cases outnumbered those of Britain.
This comes amid reports that daily Kremlin figures may be underestimating deaths by as much as 70 percent.
Russia today reported 10,899 new cases with a record 107 new deaths. This brings Russia’s Covid-19 death toll to 2,116.
Today marks the tenth consecutive day that Russia has seen more than 10,000 new cases, after the number of new cases per day increased dramatically in the second half of April. Putin has attributed this sharp increase to an increase in evidence.
A quarter of a million people are under medical surveillance because they are suspected of having coronavirus.
But statistics may mask an even more dire situation in Russia.
An analysis by The Financial Times showed 2,073 more deaths in April in Moscow and St. Petersburg compared to the average figure for the past five years.
Russian official figures show 629 Covid-19 deaths for the same month, which means an excess of 1,444 deaths compared to normal levels of mortality.
“Adding to the reported national number of 2,009 Covid deaths as of Monday morning, this would mean a 72 percent increase in the death toll in Russia,” the newspaper said.
On Tuesday, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin made it mandatory for people using public transport, taxi passengers and shoppers to wear face masks.
The same figures from civil registry offices show that in Moscow in April there were 1,980 additional deaths in Moscow compared to the average of more than ten years.
So far, Russian experts have suggested that they are less affected than many western countries.
But it also seems clear that Russia does not list Covis-19 as a cause when there are factors complicating deaths, such as cancer or heart problems.
Revealing statistics of excess deaths from the Moscow civil registry office suggest that either the actual number of deaths from Covid-19 is higher than officially recognized, or that there has been an increase in non-coronavirus deaths in a time when hospitals are under pressure from the pandemic, or a combination of both.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova has claimed that infections are growing significantly more slowly in Russia than in Western countries.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova, pictured on May 12 during a briefing on anti-coronavirus measures, has claimed that infections are growing significantly more slowly in Russia than in Western countries.
Yesterday, Putin told millions of Russians to return to work today despite registering a record number of coronavirus infections and deaths in the 24 hours prior to his public announcement.
On May 11, Putin spoke about the deadly pandemic in a televised speech from the Kremlin and announced measures to support the Russian economy.
“Starting tomorrow, May 12, the national period of non-working days will end for all sectors of the economy,” Putin said, adding that Russia’s regions will be able to maintain the necessary anti-virus measures.
The Russian prime minister criticized companies for doubling unemployment rates since the start of the pandemic, adding that they should have retained their employees during the crisis.
Putin emphasized that the rapid increase in the number of coronavirus cases was largely due to the high test rates in the country. He said Russia started the pandemic with 2,500 tests per day, which has now grown to 170,000. Authorities plan to double this number by next month.
During the speech, Putin called on the heads of regional governments to take responsibility for enforcing social distancing measures and for handing over the money promised by the government to those in need.
However, Russia’s low death toll and death registration methods have been questioned by the opposition, while doctors have said that initial test kits often yielded false-negative results.
With most cases in and around Moscow, some regions have begun to relax restrictions that have seriously affected the economy.
Yakutia, Magadan and Yamal, sparsely populated, lifted restrictions on being outside and allowed some businesses to reopen, forcing people to distance themselves.
In Moscow, the mayor announced that some industries and construction sites may start work, but masks and gloves will be mandatory starting Tuesday.
More than half of all cases and deaths are in Moscow, the epicenter of the Russian outbreak.
