Russia

Russia has reported nearly 22,000 new corona infections, the most massive daily increase since the start of the pandemic.   Catering establishments in the capital Moscow will be faced with stricter measures in the coming weeks to prevent further spread of the virus. Nightclubs, restaurants and cafes are no longer allowed to serve customers between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. until mid-January. Russia, with approximately 145 million inhabitants, is one of the countries worldwide that reported the most infections. Only in the US, India, Brazil and France have more people been diagnosed with the virus. In some areas outside Moscow, hospitals are struggling with the influx of corona patients, according to Russian media. Earlier this year, Moscow was subject to a strict lockdown. The mayor of...

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered that greenhouse gas emissions in Russia be reduced by 70 percent compared to the year 1990.   That goal must be achieved by 2030 at the latest, according to the decree issued by the Kremlin on Wednesday. It also mentions that the warming of the climate in Russia is going faster than in other parts of the world. Scientists are particularly concerned about the thawing of the permafrost layer in the Siberian soil, releasing massive amounts of methane gas. Putin's decree was issued the day the United States formally left the Paris Climate Agreement. Climate scientists around the world warn that firm measures are needed to prevent the Earth from warming by more than 2 degrees from pre-industrial temperatures. Russia, the world's largest cou...

Massive vaccinations against the coronavirus will start in the coming months in the Russian capital Moscow. That starts between December and January, Mayor Sergej Sobjanin wrote on his blog on Monday.   The first significant deliveries of the first Russian vaccine will arrive next month. "That will be the ultimate victory over the pandemic," said Sobjanin. The Russian vaccine called 'Sputnik-V' had already been released in August. There was international criticism for approval before the completion of significant tests. Large-scale phase III studies are currently underway. A second vaccine developed in Russia has now also been released. In the largest country in the world in terms of surface area, the number of new infections has been rising rapidly for weeks. According to officia...

The mayor of Moscow is calling on companies to allow their employees to work from home as much as possible from Monday. The number of corona infections in Russia has recently broken new records.   Mayor Sergei Sobjanin of the capital also advises anyone with chronic health problems and people over 65 to stay at home as much as possible. With more than 1.1 million infections, Russia is one of the countries with the highest number of corona infections worldwide. In the past 24 hours, 7,212 new infections were added, the highest number since June 23. In the last 24 hours, 108 people have died from the effects of the virus, according to national figures. The largest concentration of new infections is in and around Moscow. On Friday, Poland and Slovakia also reported record numbers ...

Russia calls allegations that Russia's corona vaccine is unsafe "unfounded and competition-driven." Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said this on Wednesday, Interfax news agency said.   President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that Russia was the first country to legally approve a Covid-19 vaccine after less than two months of testing on humans. Moscow's decision to approve it has raised concern among some experts. Only about 10 percent of clinical tests are successful, and some scientists are concerned that Moscow puts national prestige over safety. In particular, German Health Minister Jens Spahn said on Wednesday that Russia's Covid-19 vaccine had not been sufficiently tested. He added that the goal is to have a safe product rather than just being the first to vaccinate ...

As expected, Russian President Vladimir Putin has won a significant victory in the referendum on reforming the constitution.   After counting the votes, Russian media reports that 77.9 percent of the voters support the proposals. The victory allows Putin (67) to remain in power until 2036. He may then participate twice in the presidential election. His current term of office ends in 2024, and he can serve two more six-year terms after that.