Russia to spend over $70 billion on coronavirus recovery plan, says PM Mishustin

As Russia has ‘passed the peak’ of coronavirus outbreak, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin reportedly announced that the country will be spending over $70 billion on the virus recovery plan. According to Johns Hopkins University tally, Russia has the third-highest number of COVID-19 cases across the globe, only behind the United States and Brazil. Currently, the country has over 423,000 confirmed cases and the deadly virus has also claimed nearly 5,031 lives. 

Even with an increasing number of cases, the Russian authorities eased the strict lockdown that was imposed two months ago. While speaking at the daily coronavirus briefings, Russian President Vladimir Putin also said that the ‘clear and steady decrease’ in new cases was a clear sign that Russia could move into the next stage of lifting restrictions and reopening the country. Despite the rapid rise, he also added that the coronavirus outbreak in Russia has begun to abate, creating a positive environment for easing restrictions. 

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Putin’s popularity falls amid pandemic response 

With a worsening situation in Russia, dissatisfaction with President Putin has also grown. As per reports, opinion polls suggest the leader's popularity has fallen amid his response to the pandemic and its economic repercussions. Even Putin's own spokesperson and Deputy Prime Minister have fallen sick to the virus.

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Amid the outbreak, Putin recently also announced that the annual May 9 massive military parade will be held in June. The new date of June 24 marks the 75th year after the first victory parade in Red Square following Germany’s surrender to Soviet commanders on May 9. The parade is Russia’s most important holiday. Thousands of people gather in Moscow, including elderly veterans proudly wearing their medals. This year, the parade was supposed to highlight Russia’s exception role in history and on the world stage, however, due to the unprecedented COVID-19 outbreak, the country had to postpone the military parade. 

Furthermore, Putin has also set July 1 as the date for a constitutional amendment plebiscite that would allow him to stay in power until 2036 if he chooses. “Indeed, July 1 looks like quite a suitable date to hold the Russian vote on the constitutional amendments,” Putin was quoted by local media as saying during a video conference with members of the constitutional amendments working group after Central Election Committee Head Ella Pamfilova proposed the date. 

(Image: AP) 

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