Russia In The Time Of Coronavirus, Part VIII
Vladimir Putin crossed a milestone this week, with his approval rating sinking to an all-time low. Russia also marked a milestone this week, as it passed Germany in confirmed covid-19 cases now ranking the fifth most in the world.
With Putin visibly absent from Russia’s response to the novel coronavirus, cracks in the Kremlin power elite are becoming more manifest.
And it is not just the Kremlin’s inner circle that is being torn apart by the pandemic. A rift between the Russian Orthodox Church and the state is forming as deep splits open the ranks of the faith about how to deal with the coronavirus.
Listen to the Power Vertical Podcast as Brian Whitmore, Maria Snegovaya, and Donald N. Jensen take a closer look at Kremlinology in a time of coronavirus.
Intro Audio Clip: “Message from the President to the Federal Assembly” via the Kremlin under CC BY 4.0.
Photo: “Appeal to Austrian citizens on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Europe from fascism” by the President of Russia under CC BY 4.0.
WP Post Author
Brian Whitmore is Director of the Russia Program at the Center for European Policy Analysis. Before joining CEPA he was Senior Russia Analyst at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. He also worked as a foreign correspondent for The Boston Globe in Moscow and Prague; as a graduate instructor in the Department of Government and International Studies at the University of South Carolina; and as a visiting lecturer in the History Faculty at Mechnikov National University in Odessa, Ukraine and the International Relations Faculty at St. Petersburg State University.
May 8, 2020
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.
