Russia detains activists trying to help hospital amid virus

MOSCOW — An activist doctor who had criticized Russia’s response to the coronavirus outbreak was forcibly detained as she and some of her colleagues tried to deliver protective gear to a hospital in need.

Dr. Anastasia Vasilyeva of the Alliance of Doctors union was trying to bring more than 500 masks, sanitizers, hazmat suits, gloves and protective glasses to a hospital in the Novgorod region, about about 250 miles northwest of Moscow, on Thursday when she and the others were stopped by police on a highway.

They were accused by police of violating selfisolation regulations, currently in place in many regions, including Moscow and Novgorod. The group was taken to a police station and held for hours, and the activists had to ask hospital workers to come to the station to pick up the gear.

After a night in custody, Vasilyeva appeared in court on charges of defying police orders. Two long court hearings later, she was ordered to pay fines totaling the equivalent of $20. It was not about the money for them, It was about breaking me,” Vasilyeva said afterward. “But I’m even more convinced that we’re doing the right thing, and we will definitely keep on doing it.” Vasilyeva accused authorities of playing down the scale of the outbreak and pressuring medics to work without sufficient protection.

On Friday, officials reported 4,149 cases in the country — four times more than a week ago.