As of the morning of May 4, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Russia exceeded 145,000, with an increase of 10,581 cases in the past day. The official death toll from the virus in Russia is 1,356. Even judging by these numbers, it turns out that Russia has reached a leading position in the world (at least in something!) in terms of the rate of coronavirus infection (+166% in the past week and +315% in the past two weeks), surpassed only by Peru and Mexico.
It is particularly sad for our readers that the Muslim regions of Russia have become the epicenter of the pandemic. In particular, there has been a sharp increase in confirmed cases in Dagestan (over 1,500 cases), and Ingushetia has one of the highest mortality rates from the coronavirus (2.83%).
Obviously, it is not advisable to believe the official statistics about the relatively low mortality rate in Russia as a whole. For example, residents of the village of Gergebil in Dagestan report that 90% of their population is infected, and they have never seen such a high number of deaths. The same is true for the villages of Tebmaakhi and Gurbuki. Many people report that their deceased relatives who died of pneumonia or other diseases with viral symptoms were not diagnosed with coronavirus. In some cases, such deceased are forced to be cremated with full knowledge of the cause of death, as is the case in the Urals.
The health care system is overwhelmed. An illustrative case occurred in Voronezh with Dr. Alexander Shulepov of the Novousmansky District Hospital. On April 23, he recorded a video message saying that doctors lacked basic protective equipment, and on the night of May 1-2 he «fell» from the second floor of the hospital and is now in critical condition in the intensive care unit with a fractured skull. Did his mental health fail or was he forced to remain silent? It is not known for sure, but it is known that many healthcare professionals are currently writing about the pre-collapse state of the healthcare system in many places. Is this surprising, considering that since 2017, their number has decreased by 42%, leaving only 268,000 healthcare workers in a huge country? Meanwhile, there are nearly 3 million law enforcement officers in the country, ten times more.
Meanwhile, despite the cancellation of the May 9 ground parade (in Belarus they still plan to hold it, military personnel are currently rehearsing), 210 planes and helicopters are expected to take part in the Victory Day parade in the skies over Moscow.
Who, why, for whom and at what cost won the victory in 1945 is another story, but at least they celebrated after the victory, according to the principle «everything for the front, everything for victory». The present rulers, on the other hand, plan to celebrate when a new war with a deadly threat is in full swing, and thanks to their policies the country and its inhabitants are currently losing.