Picture: kremlin.ru

President Vladimir Putin warned on Friday that a second wave of the coronavirus epidemic could hit Russia this fall. The current outbreak in the country has been stabilized by lockdown measures and the curve has flattened.

“Another wave of coronavirus disease is possible in Russia from late October to November”,

Putin said at a televised video conference with government officials and health experts.

“We must keep this in mind and be prepared for this scenario”,

he warned the Minister of Health and his colleagues, quoting Russian and foreign experts. He urged officials to reserve additional hospital beds before a potential influx of patients occurs.

During the videoconference, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said the capital should maintain its coronavirus restrictions, which were extended until May 31 as the epicenter of the Russian outbreak continues to fight new infections.

Russia is expected to see an increase in mortality rates in May, Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said on Friday as the country fights a coronavirus outbreak.

“In May there will be a significant increase in mortality”, although doctors are trying to “save the maximum number of patients”,

said Golikova, without specifically referring to the deaths caused by the virus.

Putin’s star is sinking considerably and the state is reacting as usual with conspiracy theories: The United States is trying to use controlled media, bloggers and opposition politicians to undermine Russian confidence in President Vladimir Putin, whose policies have taken the country to a new level, said State Duma (lower house) Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin on Sunday.

He stressed that these are “the methods of the Central Intelligence Agency and the US State Department”.

In principle, the Americans have limited operations running with Russian dissidents, but these operations are hardly worth mentioning because Russia is a closed society.