COVID-19 REPORTING
U.S. Says Military Plane With Ventilator Shipment Arrives In Moscow
A U.S. military plane carrying ventilators has landed in Moscow to help Russia in its battle against the coronavirus outbreak. "Just arrived -- U.S. plane with humanitarian aid from the people of the United States to the people of Russia. In times of crisis, the United States and Russia must work together to save lives," Rebecca Ross, a spokeswoman at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, said in a post on Twitter on May 21.
EU Sees Drop In COVID-19 Disinformation, Urges More Action
EU monitors say they have seen "at least a temporary decrease" in the amount of misinformation and disinformation surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, but external actors, notably pro-Kremlin sources, are still active in spreading false information on the outbreak.
'Rage Is Brewing' Over COVID-19 Response, Says Navalny
Aleksei Navalny, the founder of the Anti-Corruption Foundation, told RFE/RL in an interview on May 20 that "right now the degree of protest activity among citizens is probably one of the highest in recent times.” Russian citizens are expressing greater protest sentiment as the spread of the coronavirus and the state’s fight against it has left many people dissatisfied, including doctors and small-business owners, he said.
Who Lives? Who Dies? Russia's Front-Line Doctors Face Agonizing Dilemmas As COVID-19 Crisis Unfolds
In interviews with RFE/RL, 20 intensive-care doctors from across Russia said they had heard of cases, even before the pandemic, in which a scarcity of medical resources left some critically ill patients without the care they required. None, however, spoke in specific terms even under condition of anonymity because of the serious potential legal ramifications of such matters.
Kadyrov Whereabouts Unclear After Reported Hospitalization For Coronavirus
Chechen and Russian officials remain tight-lipped about the condition or whereabouts of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, a day after news reports said he had been hospitalized in Moscow for possible coronavirus infection. Russian media reported on May 21 that unnamed medical officials said that Kadyrov, 43, had been flown to a Moscow facility and was under medical supervision.
Ukrainian Prisoners Pay Price For Better Conditions Amid COVID-19 Threat
Detainees at Kyiv's notoriously overcrowded Lukyanivska prison, parts of which are 160 years old, have been offered a way out of overcrowded cells with up to a dozen inmates and poor sanitation, but it comes at a price.
Moldova's Orthodox Church Slams 'Anti-Christ Plot' To Develop Virus Vaccine
The Moscow-affiliated Moldovan Orthodox Church has called on the country's leadership to ensure that a potential future anti-coronavirus vaccine will not be made compulsory, claiming conspiracy by a "world anti-Christ system" that will allegedly insert microchips into humans to control them via 5G technology.
Counting The Dead: How Do Countries Tally The Toll From COVID-19?
The United States and Russia have the two highest numbers of cumulative, confirmed coronavirus cases in the world. As of May 20, the United States also had the highest official death toll. Russia, however, is ranked 19th for its reported number of coronavirus fatalities, and its statistics are increasingly under scrutiny from experts who suspect something's not quite right with Moscow's methodology.
OTHER NEWS
White House Official: Trump To Seek Extension Of New START Arms Treaty With Russia
A top U.S. official said President Donald Trump was expected to seek an extension of the New START treaty with Russia, a major nuclear arms agreement set to expire next year. National-security adviser Robert O'Brien’s May 21 comment came the same day that the Trump administration announced it would move to withdraw from another security treaty, called Open Skies.
Russian Prosecutors To Ask For Sentencing In Whelan Trial
Russian prosecutors are expected to issue their sentencing recommendation on May 25 in the case of former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who is on trial in Moscow for what the United States says are baseless spying charges.
Rosneft Sues RBK Media For Approximately $599 Million
On May 20, 2020, Rosneft’s Board of Directors reappointed Igor Sechin as CEO of the company for another five years. The Russian state-owned oil company has recently filed a lawsuit demanding roughly $599 million in damages from Russian media outlet RBK after the outlet published a story claiming that a private security firm in the city of Ryazan received a share of Venezuela’s oil company, which Rosneft previously owned. Rosneft says the article caused its shares to drop precipitously. RBK says it is “delighted” that its reporting can have such an impact, and that it intends to continue to provide its audiences with balanced information. (Russian Service)
Russia Spent Nearly $101.3 Million On Crowd Dispersal Munitions
The human rights project “Apologia of Protest” has reported that Russia’s National Guard and Interior Ministry have purchased special equipment valued at roughly $101 million to disperse rallies. Approximately $62.6 million was spent on armored vehicles equipped to fire stun grenades and tear gas, and destroy barricades. (Russian Service)
IMF, Ukraine Pencil $5 Billion Deal To Help With Debt Repayments
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Ukrainian officials reached a staff-level agreement on a new $5 billion stand-by arrangement to help Kyiv cope with economic shock caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The agreement aims to provide balance of payments and budget support over a period of 18 months.
UNICEF Calls For Cease-Fire In Eastern Ukraine, Says Children 'Urgently Need Peace'
The UN children’s agency is calling for all parties to the deadly conflict in eastern Ukraine to commit to a cease-fire and end more than six years of fighting, as a surge in attacks combined with restrictions related to the coronavirus are "making life even more unbearable" for the approximately 430,000 children caught up in the fighting.
Kyiv, Sofia Clash Over Ukraine's Plan To Redraw District Lines
Ukraine and Bulgaria have clashed over Kyiv’s plans to change administrative divisions within a district in the southern Odesa region with a sizeable ethnic-Bulgarian minority.
Sofia District Mayor Wants Monument To 'Soviet Liberators' Removed
A Sofia district mayor is calling for the removal of a communist-era monument from a public park in the Bulgarian capital commemorating the "Soviet liberators" of Bulgaria in 1944, earning an angry rebuke from Russia. The controversy comes amid a diplomatic spat between Russia and the Czech Republic over last month’s removal of a controversial statue of a Soviet marshal in Prague.
Harutyunian Sworn In As President Of Disputed Nagorno-Karabakh Region
Arayik (Ara) Harutyunian was sworn in on May 21 as de facto president of Nagorno-Karabakh, the unrecognized breakaway Azerbaijani region.
Almaty To Hire Bloggers To Combat Religious Extremism
Public procurement records belonging to the city of Almaty show that local authorities intend to hire at least eight popular bloggers for “preventive work in the religious sphere.” Bloggers would be contracted to publish posts exposing the dangers of extremist ideas, and the propaganda techniques used to promote terrorism and extremism. (in Russian, Current Time TV)
Impoverished Turkmen Selling Jewelry, Cars To Buy Food
Desperate to buy food and medicine, some residents of eastern Turkmenistan have resorted to selling their cars, jewelry, livestock, and household items to survive. "We have no money left to feed our children or buy medicine for our elderly parents," a resident of the city of Bayramaly told RFE/RL on May 20 on condition of anonymity.
PHOTOGALLERY: Keeping Culture Alive In The Time Of COVID-19