Putin keeps a low profile as Moscow goes into lockdown

MOSCOW’S 12 million residents woke up yesterday to the first day of a full lockdown which was imposed just a few days after Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, insisted that the spread of the disease was under control.

The number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Russia jumped to 1,836 yesterday, most of them recorded in the Russian capital. Sergei Sobyanin, the mayor of Moscow, announced a full lockdown on Sunday, ordering residents to stay at home except for when they need to go to the nearest grocery store or walk the dog. No outdoor exercises are allowed.

The Moscow government, which has used CCTV and facial recognition to track coronavirus patients, is expected to roll out a tracking system later this week. Just a few days earlier, Mr Putin visited Moscow’s main coronavirus hospital and insisted that the epidemic was “generally under control”.

The Russian leader of 20 years, who earlier this month pushed through an amendment allowing him to stay in power, appears to be taking a back seat in dealing with the outbreak, leaving it to Moscow’s mayor and the prime minister to be the bearers of bad news.

Alexei Navalny, the leader of the opposition, said he was bewildered as to why Mr Putin had not been seen much in public. Yesterday, 20 hours after the lockdown was announced, Mr Putin chaired a conference call with his envoys in the regions – his first public appearance since Thursday.

“It’s likely that Putin doesn’t want to be associated with the worrying situation in the country when you have to say unpleasant, worrying things,” Masha Lipman, a Moscow-based political analyst, told The Daily Telegraph.