May 31 — Russia confirmed 9,268 new coronavirus infections, bringing the country’s official number of cases to 405,843.
May 30 — Russia confirmed 8,952 new coronavirus infections, bringing the country’s official number of cases to 396,575.
May 29 — Russia confirmed 8,572 new coronavirus infections Friday, bringing the country’s official number of cases to 387,623.
— Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin has ordered to lift some of Moscow’s coronavirus restrictions starting June 1. All non-food shops and some service sector businesses will be able to re-open, he said. The city will also test lifting restrictions on walks outside using a schedule system for apartment buildings and all parks except for Zaryadye Park will re-open.
— Moscow health authorities have more than doubled the city’s April death count from coronavirus or related cases as questions continue to surround Russia’s comparatively low mortality rate.
— Russian authorities said Thursday that a small number of spectators would be allowed at stadiums when the country’s Premier League restarts its suspended season next month.
— Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin added the media sector to the list of industries that qualify for government support during the coronavirus pandemic, entitling publishers and news outlets to tax payment deferrals, interest-free loans for paying employee salaries and more.
May 28
— Russia confirmed 8,371 new coronavirus infections Thursday, bringing the country’s official number of cases to 379,051.
— Russia is reissuing invitations to international leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron to attend a massive military parade in Moscow on June 24, a Foreign Ministry official said.
— Moscow’s coronavirus restrictions will be in place until a vaccine is developed, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said.
— One in four Russians believe that the global coronavirus pandemic is made-up, according to a survey by Moscow’s Higher School of Economics (HSE) cited by the RBC news website.
May 27
— Russia confirmed 8,338 new coronavirus infections, bringing the country’s official number of cases to 370,680.
— Russia will no longer include asymptomatic coronavirus patients in its daily count of new infections and deaths, the Health Ministry said.
— Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said he is «healthy,» even demonstrating that his arms don’t have IV marks, after rumors that he was hospitalized with possible coronavirus.
— Russia announced that the coronavirus pandemic has forced it to postpone two international summits, the BRICS and SCO summits, which were set for St. Petersburg in July.
— Russia’s consumer protection watchdog said the capital is ready to enter the first phases of lifting its coronavirus restrictions.
— The Russian military announced it had opened a field hospital in the North Caucasus region of Dagestan where authorities are struggling to contain a coronavirus outbreak.
May 26
— Russia confirmed 8,915 new coronavirus infections, bringing the country’s official number of cases to 362,342.
— President Vladimir Putin has ordered the Russian military to hold its landmark parade marking the 75th anniversary of the Soviet victory in World War II, which was originally scheduled for May 9, on June 24, pointing to what he said was a stabilization of the coronavirus in Russia.
— About 50% of Russians have abandoned their vacation plans due to the coronavirus, the ROMIR research agency said. The previous day, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said that Russians should avoid traveling abroad this summer.
— Russia’s Health Ministry said that 101 Russian medics have died from the coronavirus. According to an unofficial tally kept by Russian and Belarussian doctors, 305 medics have died from the virus.
May 25
— Russia confirmed 8,946 new coronavirus infections Monday, bringing the country’s official number of cases to 353,427.
— President Vladimir Putin has signed a law allowing Russians to vote by mail or online in a move supporters say will prevent the spread of the coronavirus and opponents claim will open the door to manipulation.
— Putin congratulated Muslims across Russia on the Eid al-Fitr holiday, a feast marking the end of the month-long fast of Ramadan. Authorities in Moscow and Russia’s Muslim-majority regions have canceled prayer gatherings and ordered mosques to remain closed to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
— A provincial leader outside Moscow was heard telling his subordinates to alter his region’s coronavirus data in an audio recording leaked Monday that he later confirmed to be authentic.
— A makeup artist in eastern Moscow has been seeing clients despite testing positive for the coronavirus, Russian media reported. Irina Subbotina tested positive for the virus and was ordered to self-quarantine in mid-May but continued to see clients, the reports said.
May 24
— President Vladimir Putin warned that a second wave of the coronavirus epidemic could hit Russia this fall as he noted that the country’s current outbreak is stabilizing.
— Russia confirmed 8,599 new coronavirus infections, bringing the country’s official number of cases to 344,481. Russia has the third-highest number of infections behind the United States and Brazil, but the number of new cases has fallen below 10,000 for nine days in a row.
— Russia is expected this month to register a spike in mortality rates amid the coronavirus epidemic, Deputy Prime Minister Tatiana Golikova said.
— Russia has carried out its first test of a coronavirus vaccine on humans, the head of the Gamalei Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology said. The vaccine was tested on the center’s own employees and no side effects were reportedly found.
May 22
— One in three Russian doctors who treat coronavirus patients have been told to change how they report cases, according to a survey cited by the Meduza news website amid questions over Russia’s low Covid-19 death toll.
— One out of seven healthy Russians may have been infected with the coronavirus, according to a Moscow-based private lab analysis of voluntary testing published Friday.
— Starting May 25, Moscow’s public registry services will re-open and car-sharing will resume, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said. All other lockdown restrictions remain in place.
— Moscow has managed to avoid the «worst-case scenario» with the coronavirus, Sobyanin said, but stressed that it’s necessary to maintain current lockdown measures.
— People who violate lockdown orders in the Moscow region surrounding the capital will be punished with up to 100 hours of community service in hospitals, the region’s security services said.
May 21
— Russia confirmed 8,849 new coronavirus infections, bringing the country’s official number of cases to 317,554.
— Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has been hospitalized in Moscow with a suspected coronavirus infection, Interfax reported, citing an unnamed source in Moscow’s medical services.
— A U.S. military plane carrying dozens of donated American ventilators touched down in Moscow, with the precious cargo ready to be sent to a hospital treating coronavirus patients.
— At least 9,479 Russian medical workers have been infected with the coronavirus in the past month and more than 70 have died, the Associated Press reported, citing official statements and news reports in more than 70 Russian regions. Healthcare workers say the death toll is much higher.
May 20
— Russia confirmed 8,764 new coronavirus infections, bringing the country’s official number of cases to 308,705 and marking the lowest daily increase since May 1.
— Moscow’s coronavirus death rate will be «significantly» higher in May than it was in April, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin warned.
May 19
— Russia confirmed 9,263 new coronavirus infections, bringing the country’s official number of cases to 299,941.
— Russian medics are 16 times more likely to die from the coronavirus than healthcare professionals in countries with similarly high Covid-19 numbers, the Mediazona news website reported.
— Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has resumed his official duties nearly three weeks after first announcing that he had been diagnosed with the coronavirus and naming an acting prime minister.
— The Saratov region has reinstated its ban on walks and outdoor activities a week after easing the restriction due to the region’s high growth rate in new coronavirus cases, its vice governor said.
— Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said the situation with the coronavirus in Moscow is “still far from ideal.”
— Government offices in Moscow will reopen next week, and some clinics will be allowed to provide planned medical treatments. Sobyanin said that it was still too soon to think about reopening other parts of the capital such as shopping centers or hairdressers.
— Moscow authorities announced plans to double testing capacity to 200,000 a day by the end of May.
— Moscow residents will be allowed to go outside to walk or exercise only when the number of new daily infections reaches the «tens or hundreds, not thousands,» Sobyanin added. Moscow reported 3,545 new cases.
— Russia’s second-largest city St. Petersburg has banned residents from attending funeral services regardless of the cause of death of the deceased, the Fontanka.ru news website reported.
May 18
— Russia confirmed 8,926 new coronavirus infections, bringing the country’s official number of cases to 290,678 and signaling a potential slowdown in new cases.
— Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said that the growth in new coronavirus cases has been stopped in Russia.
— Russia’s national coronavirus crisis center has stopped updating the latest Covid-19 death counts in at least two Siberian regions while the regions have published new numbers, the Tayga.info news website reported.
— Twenty-seven of Russia’s 85 regions are ready to start gradually easing coronavirus restrictions, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said.
— President Vladimir Putin said the coronavirus situation in Dagestan required urgent attention after a top official said hundreds of people in the region might have died from the virus.
— Russia’s consumer protection watchdog Rospotrebnadzor has recommended that Russian airlines fill their flights by no more than 50% in order to adequately space passengers apart from each other.
— Russia’s low coronavirus death toll compared to other countries is a result of the population’s herd immunity, the head of Russia’s Gamalei Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology Alexander Gintsburg said.
May 17
— Russia confirmed 9,709 new coronavirus infections, bringing the country’s official number of cases to 281,752.
— A baby was born with the coronavirus in Russia’s Caucasus region of North Ossetia, health officials were quoted by the state-run TASS news agency as saying, to a mother who is also infected. The birth in the city of Beslan follows one in mid-April in Peru, which health officials there said was the second known case of a Covid-19 positive newborn worldwide.
— The growth of new cases in Russia is stabilizing, Anna Popova, the head of public health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor said, as the daily tally fell under 10,000 for the third day this week. “We’ve moved towards the level of stability that we’ve all been waiting for .. I would say that as of today, we have halted the growth,” she told the state television channel Rossiya 1.
— More than 13,000 people in Dagestan have contracted the coronavirus or community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), the region’s health minister said. A total of 657 people have died from Covid-19 or CAP, including 40 doctors, he added. According to official statistics, there have been 3,371 coronavirus infections and just 29 deaths from Covid-19 in the region.
— Russia confirmed 9,709 new coronavirus infections, bringing the country’s official number of cases to 281,752.
May 16
— Russia confirmed 9,200 new coronavirus infections, bringing the country’s official number of cases to 272,043 and signaling a potential slowing of new cases.
May 15
— Russia confirmed 10,598 new coronavirus infections Friday, bringing the country’s official number of cases to 262,843.
— The Russian Premier League’s season will resume June 21, the Russian Football Union (RFU) said Friday. The matches, which have been suspended since March 17, will be held without spectators.
— Yandex will end its free coronavirus testing program, the tech giant said, adding that it has carried out 20,000 of the free tests since the program began on April 20.
May 14
— Russia confirmed 9,974 new coronavirus infections, bringing the country’s official number of cases to 252,245.
— Clinics in Moscow, the epicenter of Russia’s coronavirus epidemic, will begin mass random testing of residents for coronavirus antibodies on Friday, the mayor said.
— President Vladimir Putin said the coronavirus outbreak was easing in Russia, after daily confirmed cases dropped back below 10,000.
«Over the past weeks, all our efforts have been aimed first and foremost at pushing back against the coronavirus epidemic,» Putin said in a televised videoconference with scientists and officials. «The situation is changing now, and this gives us an opportunity to once again focus on our current and long-term agenda.»
— Education and Science Minister Valery Falkov was diagnosed with coronavirus, President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting, making him the fourth minister to catch the virus. During the meeting, Falkov said he has already recovered and returned to work.
— Clinics in Moscow, the epicenter of Russia’s coronavirus epidemic, will begin mass random testing of residents for coronavirus antibodies on Friday, the mayor said. The free and voluntary testing will «show the real picture» of the epidemic’s stage, since many people may have had the virus without knowing it, Sergei Sobyanin told state television.
«Every three days we will send out 70,000 invitations to Moscow residents» to have their blood drawn at clinics, he said.
May 13
— Russia confirmed 10,028 new coronavirus infections Wednesday, bringing the country’s official number of cases to 242,271.
— More than 60% of deaths among Moscow’s coronavirus patients are not being counted toward the city’s official virus death toll, city health officials said.
— Russian low-cost airline Pobeda will resume its domestic flights on June 1 after suspending all its flights in late March, the RBC news website reported.
— Russia’s oldest coronavirus patient, 100-year-old Pelageya Poyarkova, has fully recovered from the illness, the Federal Biomedical Agency (FMBA) said Wednesday.
— Russia might not see its pre-coronavirus levels of tourism return until January 2021, officials said Tuesday.
— State Duma deputy Oksana Pushkina has tested positive for the coronavirus, she said.
— Nearly 1,500 doctors and healthcare workers in St. Petersburg have been infected with coronavirus since the epidemic began, Governor Alexander Beglov said.
May 12
— Russia confirmed 10,899 new coronavirus infections Tuesday, bringing the country’s official number of cases to 232,243.
— President Vladimir Putin has eased Russia’s “non-working” period imposed to slow the spread of coronavirus even as Russia emerges as Europe’s new coronavirus hotspot.
— Five people died in a fire in a hospital for coronavirus patients in Russia’s second-largest city of St. Petersburg, with some victims attached to ventilators, officials said.
— President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov has been hospitalized with coronavirus, he told the state-run RIA Novosti news agency Tuesday.
— Starting today, Moscow residents will be required to wear face masks and gloves in all public places.
— Russian pharmacy chains are reporting shortages in thermometers, according to the Kommersant business daily.
May 11
— Russia confirmed 11,656 new coronavirus infections Monday, bringing the country’s official number of cases to 221,344 and marking a new one-day record increase.
— Russia’s second-largest city, St. Petersburg, has extended its coronvirus lockdown until May 31 and will require its residents to wear face masks and gloves in public starting May 12.
— Russia has conducted more than 5.6 million coronavirus tests, its state consumer protection watchdog Rospotrebnadzor said, or about 188,000 tests per day.
May 10
— Russia confirmed 11,012 new coronavirus infections Sunday, bringing the country’s official number of cases to 209,688.
May 9
— Russia confirmed 10,817 new coronavirus infections Saturday, bringing the country’s official number of cases to 198,676.
— President Vladimir Putin called for Russians to stand together on Saturday as the country marked the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II on lockdown over the virus. «We know and firmly believe that we are invincible when we stand together,» Putin said in a televised speech after plans for a grand Victory Day military parade in Red Square had to be postponed because of the pandemic.
— Moscow’s coronavirus lockdown has been extended until May 31, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said. Starting May 12, Moscow residents will be required to wear face masks and gloves in all public places and transport, Sobyanin said.
— One person died after a fire broke out in a hospital treating coronavirus patients in northern Moscow, forcing an evacuation, emergencies officials said Saturday.
May 8
— Russia confirmed 10,699 new coronavirus infections Friday, bringing the country’s official number of cases to 187,859. Russia is now the fifth most-affected country in terms of infections, surpassing Germany and France on Thursday.
— Russia’s coronavirus lockdown could stay in place until a coronavirus vaccine is developed or until the pandemic ends, said Anna Popova, the head of Russia’s consumer protection watchdog Rospotrebnadzor.
— Hundreds of thousands of Moscow’s rapid antibody tests labeled as Dutch-made are unreliable at detecting the coronavirus in its early stages, meaning patients who receive false negatives could potentially infect others, a new investigation has said.
May 7
— Russia confirmed 11,231 new coronavirus infections Thursday, bringing the country’s official number of cases to 177,160 and marking a new one-day record rise in infections.
— The real number of coronavirus infections in Moscow is likely around 300,000, Sobyanin said. Officially, the city has 92,676 cases.
— “I don’t want to say this, but we need to prepare for a long period surrounding the spread of the epidemic and the danger of infection. Such is reality, sadly, and we should stare this reality in the face,” he said.
— Leonid Fedun, the billionaire energy tycoon who co-founded Lukoil and owns FC Spartak Moscow, has been hospitalized with coronavirus.
May 6
— Russia confirmed 10,559 new coronavirus infections Wednesday, bringing the country’s official number of cases to 165,929.
— Russian Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova has tested positive for the coronavirus, becoming the third Russian cabinet official to become infected with the virus after construction minister Vladimir Yakushev and Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.
— Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said stay-at-home restrictions would remain in place beyond May 12, but companies involved in industry and construction would be allowed to return to work that day.
— Moscow residents could be required to wear face masks in all public spaces as early as next week, the Kommersant business daily reported.
— Russian prosecutors have shot down online conspiracy theories about the coronavirus’ manmade origins as fake, the Prosecutor General’s Office said in a statement Wednesday.
— Moscow has conducted 1 million coronavirus tests since the start of its outbreak, the city’s coronavirus task force said, citing deputy mayor Anastasia Rakova. More than 40,000 tests are carried out daily. Nationwide, 4.4 million tests have been carried out.
May 5
— Russia confirmed 10,102 new coronavirus infections Tuesday, bringing the country’s official number of cases to 155,370.
— Three Russian journalists have died from the coronavirus, the head of Russia’s Journalists Union told Interfax. More than 100 have been hospitalized with the virus and more than 500 are self-isolating at home under the supervision of health services.
— Russia has sent medical research supplies and two mobile laboratories to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to help the African country fight the coronavirus, Interfax reported.
May 4
— Russia confirmed 10,581 new coronavirus infections Monday, bringing the country’s official number of cases to 145,268.
— Authorities in St. Petersburg have pledged to pay compensation to doctors who become infected with the coronavirus — but only after an investigation establishes their level of responsibility for getting it, according to newly adopted rules.
— Bosnia denied entry to a team of 24 Russian military medical experts who had come to the Balkan country to carry out decontamination work.
— Starting May 8, all individuals flying from Moscow to Beijing will be required to provide proof of a negative coronavirus test received 120 hours or less before departure.
— Sergei Bebenin, the speaker of the Leningrad region’s parliament, has been infected with coronavirus, Interfax reported.
— Russia has removed its ban on the export of medical masks and respirators, Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov told the state-run Rossia 1 news channel. He said there is no shortage of masks or other sanitary products in Russian pharmacies.
— The Russian National Guard said it is using drones and a helicopter to enforce self-isolation rules in Moscow and the Moscow region over the May holidays. The drones and helicopter will send information about violations to officers on the ground, who will then issue fines to violators.
May 3
— Russia confirmed 10,633 new coronavirus infections Sunday, bringing the country’s official number of cases to 134,687 and marking a new one-day record increase.
May 2
— Russia confirmed 9,623 new coronavirus infections Saturday, bringing the country’s official number of cases to 124,054 and marking a new one-day record increase.
— About 2% of Moscow residents — or more than 250,000 people — have the coronavirus, the mayor of the Russian capital said on Saturday, citing test results. Around 2,000 Moscow doctors have either recovered from or are currently ill with Covid-19, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said.
May 1
— Russia confirmed 7,933 new coronavirus infections Friday, bringing the country’s official number of cases to 114,431 and marking a new one-day record increase.
— Half of Moscow’s coronavirus patients in serious condition have tested negative for the virus, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said Thursday amid questions over the accuracy of Russia’s tests.
— Eight refrigerated containers to store the bodies of deceased coronavirus patients have been installed at hospitals in St. Petersburg, the local Fontanka.ru news website reported. The city’s health department told Fontanka that the containers aren’t being used yet and are a precautionary step in case the number of deaths rises.
— Russia could possibly tighten its coronavirus lockdown after May 11 if residents don’t follow the self-isolation rules over the May holidays, consumer protection watchdog head Anna Popova said.
— Moscow is setting up 44 temporary hospitals which will treat up to 10,000 coronavirus patients, deputy mayor Pyotr Biryukov said.
