This was the week when COVID-19 got real in Russia. Confirmed cases surpassed 1,000—which is still suspiciously low.
In a nationally televised speech, Vladimir Putin postponed the April 22 constitutional amendment. And Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin was placed in charge of the national response.
So what happens when an authoritarian kleptocracy that has relied on subterfuge, smoke and mirrors, kabuki theater, and dramaturgy has to deal with a global health crisis that doesn’t care about propaganda?
Listen to episode 65 of the Power Vertical Podcast as Brian Whitmore, Maria Snegovaya, and Donald N. Jensen explore what happens when Putinism meets a pandemic.
Intro Audio Clip: “Message from the President to the Federal Assembly” via the Kremlin under CC BY 4.0.
The Power Vertical is a CEPA podcast covering the Kremlin for Kremlin watchers. All opinions are those of the guests and do not necessarily represent the position or views of the institutions they represent or the Center for European Policy Analysis.
Europe’s Edge is CEPA’s online journal covering critical topics on the foreign policy docket across Europe and North America. All opinions expressed on Europe’s Edge are those of the author alone and may not represent those of the institutions they represent or the Center for European Policy Analysis. CEPA maintains a strict intellectual independence policy across all its projects and publications.
