Is Putin playing with the pandemic?

The Russian government’s sudden announcement of a lockdown in Moscow earlier this week, without giving people enough time to stock up on essential goods, has triggered a wave of apprehension and confusion among the country’s population. Implementation of the lockdown came within four hours of its announcement, just as it was done in India, although over the past fortnight, the Kremlin had been signalling that the situation wasn’t worrisome. President Vladimir Putin even issued a statement that his government had the situation “under control”. Then a week ago, he announced a “non-working week” for the country. They would be paid for staying home. If this was aimed at stopping people from coming out and mingling, it was an abysmal failure as thousands of people headed out to resorts, shopping malls and parks. They are not to blame. After all, the Kremlin had been telling them that the “de facto situation” in Russia” is fine. The Putin government has been making a concerted effort to downplay the magnitude of the coronavirus crisis confronting Russia. Figures have been fudged.

This has been confirmed by Russian officials who are pointing out that official figures do not reflect the situation on the ground. Moscow’s Mayor Sergei Sobyanin says the real numbers of Covid-19 infected are “significantly higher” than the official numbers. He should know. He heads Russia’s coronavirus task force and is thus at the forefront of the country’s fight against the pandemic. Moscow, which is the worst hit by the virus in Russia, accounts for two-thirds of the over 3,500 confirmed cases reported so far – of them 440 on Wednesday and 771 new cases on Thursday. Kremlin officials continue to claim that the number of coronavirus infections in Russia is much smaller than that in other countries. This may be so. However, fudging statistics will not help the Russian government convince its people about the importance of isolation and social distancing.

Putin has always sought to project himself as a tough leader, one who is always on top of any game, however challenging it might be. The Kremlin’s ‘all is well’ signalling is aimed at beefing up that public perception. Putin is reportedly determined to go ahead with a referendum in the third week of April that is aimed at a constitutional amendment to perpetuate his control over power. Projecting a calm strongman image is important for him to win that vote. It is a pity that at a time of grave crisis in an already demographically challenged country, Putin seems to be prioritizing consolidation of his power over the wellbeing of his people. He is not alone in this quest for self-aggrandisement. Many other leaders are doing the same.