Where is Putin in all of this? He has distanced himself from the problem and put the onus of responsibility on local governors and other bureaucrats, Kofman said.
“I think Putin is letting mayors and governors take the political hit for unpopular measures, especially in cases like Moscow, in response to the outbreak,” he said. “Individual mayors or governors will become their own local lightning rods, depending on the scale of the crisis, while national leadership hopes to avoid being blamed for how the situation is being managed.”
Putin is trying to accept credit where there is success and deflect popular anger where there is failure. But anger is rising in many parts of the country. The weekend saw major protests against lockdown restrictions in the city of Vladikavkaz.
It remains unclear just how the pandemic will affect Putin’s grip on the country.
Bugs Marlowe