Alcohol Dependency in Russia Increases for First Time in a Decade

Man in Silhoette with Bottle of Alcohol and Head in Hand

(Moscow Times – Jan. 15, 2024) Alcohol dependency in Russia has increased for the first time in 10 years, Russia’s business daily Kommersant reported Monday, citing data from the state statistics agency Rosstat. In the decade between 2010 and 2021, first-time alcohol use disorder diagnoses declined from 153,900 to 53,300. But in 2022, doctors issued 54,200 first-time diagnoses of alcohol […]

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For Victory in Freedom: Why Ukrainian Resilience to Russian Aggression Endures

Map of Ukraine, Including Crimea, and Neighbors, Including Russia

(PONARS Eurasia Policy Memo – Mikhail Alexseev, Serhii Dembitskyi – Nov. 14, 2023) Mikhail Alexseev is a Professor of Political Science at San Diego State University. Serhii Dembitskyi is Deputy Director of the Institute of Sociology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Not only do the overwhelming majority of Ukrainians remain resolute in their commitment to driving Russia […]

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RUSSIALINK: “Putin’s Daughter Joins Moscow Genetics Society, Criticizes Russian Laws – Mozhem Obyasnit” – Moscow Times

(Moscow Times – Nov. 13, 2023) President Vladimir Putin’s oldest daughter has been appointed to the board of the Moscow Society of Medical Genetics, the independent news outlet Mozhem Obyasnit reported Monday, citing her public profile on the organization’s website and a video in which she criticizes laws adopted during her father’s time in office. Maria Vorontsova is a candidate […]

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RUSSIALINK: “As Russia’s Permafrost Thaws, Ancient Pathogens Risk Re-Awakening” – Moscow Times

Anthrax Microscopic Image, adapted from cdc.gov image

(Moscow Times – Nov. 7, 2023) Ancient pathogens that have been preserved in northern Russia’s permafrost for millennia could reawaken as global temperatures rise, scientists warn, potentially putting humanity at risk of never-before-seen diseases. Jean-Michel Claverie, a virologist and emeritus professor at the Aix-Marseille University School of Medicine, is one of the few scientists worldwide who has studied “zombie viruses” […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “U.S. Army Hospital in Germany Is Treating Americans Hurt Fighting in Ukraine” – New York Times

“The [U.S.] Army has quietly started to treat wounded Americans and other fighters evacuated from Ukraine at its Landstuhl Regional Medical Center [in Germany]. Though the number so far is small — currently 14 — it marks a notable new step …. When the war erupted … hundreds of Americans — many of them military veterans — rushed to help […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Putin’s administration staff ‘are starting the day with a bottle of vodka and Security Council’s Dmitry Medvedev is often drunk when he writes his apocalyptic threats of nuclear war'” – Daily Mail (UK)

Dmitri Medvedev file photo

“Sources close to the Kremlin say stress of Ukraine war is turning some to drink State banquets serve luxury cognac costing more than £6,000 a bottle Some Russian admin staff are said to be starting the day with a bottle of vodka” Click here for: “Putin’s administration staff ‘are starting the day with a bottle of vodka and Security Council’s […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “‘Havana syndrome’ not caused by energy weapon or foreign adversary, intelligence review finds” – Washington Post

“After a years-long assessment, five U.S. intelligence agencies conclude it is ‘very unlikely’ an enemy wielding a secret weapon was behind the mysterious ailment” “… State Department personnel … in U.S. embassies are among those who have reported symptoms …. Despite the new conclusions, Secretary of State Antony Blinken [reportedly] remains of the view that something happened to those employees […]

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RUSSIALINK: “Russia Drops Remaining Covid-19 Restrictions” – Moscow Times

(Moscow Times – July 1, 2022) Russia has canceled its nationwide mask mandate, federal health authorities announced Friday, as the coronavirus pandemic has been pushed into the background amid the country’s military campaign in Ukraine. Rospotrebnadzor, Russia’s consumer protection watchdog, said the country’s caseload has “steadily” declined over the past four months. It claimed that 93% of currently confirmed cases […]

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RUSSIALINK: “Mental Health Crisis Looms in Russia as Sanctions Fuel Drug Shortages, Job Losses” – Moscow Times

“It feels as if the world has two atmospheres, and they’re slowly crushing me.” (Moscow Times – James Beardsworth – March 24, 2022) Sasha, a 26-year-old animal behaviorist from Moscow, had seen a steady improvement in her mental health over the last three years. Thanks to her passion for her job and rigorous micro-management of her medication, she was able […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Putin wishes Russians happier new year, hails their strength” – AP/ Vladimir Isachenkov

File Photo of Vladimir Putin at Podium with United Russia Logo, Gesturing

“In a televised address broadcast just before midnight in each of Russia’s 11 time zones, Putin said the nation … has faced ‘colossal challenges … ‘ … Russia’s state coronavirus task force has registered … about 10.5 million confirmed infections and 308,860 deaths, but the state statistics agency … [using] broader criteria … has reported nearly 626,000 virus-linked deaths in […]

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RUSSIALINK: “Coronavirus pandemic may be over in 2022 – RDIF head” – Interfax

Coronavirus File Photo adapted from image at cdc.gov

MOSCOW. Dec 29 (Interfax) – The energetic vaccination for Covid-19 may lead to a gradual end of the coronavirus pandemic in 2022, Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) head Kirill Dmitriev said. “We actually hope that vaccination efforts will improve the situation next year. Indeed, there are scenarios, according to which next year could see a gradual withdrawal from the pandemic,” […]

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RUSSIALINK: “Notable Deaths in Russia in 2021; Coronavirus continued to take many lives in Russia in 2021” – Moscow Times

Covid-19 Coronavirus file photo, adapted from image at cdc.gov

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Dec. 28, 2021) Cultural figures Andrei Myagkov Andrei Myagkov, an actor most famous for his role of Zhenya Lukashin in the 1975 New Year’s hit, “Irony of Fate,” directed by Eldar Rozanov, died of an apparent heart attack at the age of 82 at his home in Moscow. He worked in the Sovremennik and Moscow […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “In Russia, 83% of COVID hospital beds are filled amid surge” – AP

Covid-19 Coronavirus file photo, adapted from image at cdc.gov

“… [Russian] Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova [said] … 82.8% of 301,500 hospital beds reserved for coronavirus patients [in Russia] were filled as of Tuesday morning. …  Russia’s autumn surge in infections and deaths comes amid low vaccination rates, lax public attitudes toward taking precautions and the government’s reluctance to toughen restrictions. … [State-run] Rosstat, … tally[ing] coronavirus-linked deaths retroactively, […]

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RUSSIALINK: “Some 53% of Russian adult population vaccinated for Covid-19 – health minister” – Interfax

File Photo of Blue-Gloved Hand Holding Syringe and Injecting Arm, adapted from image at nih.gov

MOSCOW. Nov 10 (Interfax) – Over 62 million Russians have received their first shot of a Covid-19 vaccine, Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said. “More than 62 million persons have received their first shot of a vaccine to date, but we need to remember that […] the spreading of a new variant requires booster shots to ensure a high level […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia ends workplace shutdown but COVID numbers stay high” – Reuters/ Tom Balmforth

Covid-19 Coronavirus file photo, adapted from image at cdc.gov

A nationwide workplace shutdown was lifted across most Russian regions, even though the numbers of new COVID-19 cases and deaths are hovering near record daily highs […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “In Russia, COVID-19 surge shows no signs of abating” – AP

Covid-19 Coronavirus file photo, adapted from image at cdc.gov

“Daily coronavirus cases and deaths in Russia remained at their highest numbers … [M]ore regions announced … [extensions of] existing restrictions in an effort to tame the country’s unrelenting surge of infections. Russia’s state coronavirus task force reported 40,443 new confirmed cases from a day earlier. … the fifth time in seven days … [with] more than 40,000 infections. … […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia’s excess mortality soars since start of pandemic” – Financial Times

Coronavirus File Photo adapted from image at cdc.gov

“FT analysis shows an additional 753,000 people have died during the pandemic compared with historical trends.” “… The figure, used by demographers to measure the real impact of pandemics, covers … [the time frame up] to the end of September. … calculated … comparing total mortality figures collected by … Rosstat since the emergence of Covid 19, with historical trends. […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia warns of strain on doctors as virus spreads” – AFP

Covid-19 Coronavirus file photo, adapted from image at cdc.gov

“Russian authorities said … that doctors were under ‘extraordinary’ strain due to surging coronavirus cases in Europe’s worst-hit country, with Moscow shuttered during a nationwide holiday to curb infections. … Russia is one of the worst-hit countries in the world and a devastating wave this autumn has seen infections and deaths reach new records, with more than 1,000 fatalities per […]

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RUSSIALINK: “Half of Russians Are Unafraid of Catching Covid Despite Record Deaths – Poll” – Moscow Times

Coronavirus File Photo adapted from image at cdc.gov

The country with Europe’s highest Covid-19 death toll has been beset by a fourth wave of the pandemic that has seen record infections and deaths, with over 1,000 fatalities per day since Oct. 19 […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “‘We have to survive’: some businesses flout Moscow COVID-19 lockdown” – Reuters

Covid-19 Coronavirus file photo, adapted from image at cdc.gov

“Some businesses flouted the Russian capital’s new lockdown measures … saying they needed to make ends meet amid a lack of state support, as nationwide deaths from COVID-19 hit a new record daily high blamed on slow vaccination take-up. … Moscow residents are allowed to leave their homes freely, unlike last year’s sweeping lockdown, but the new measures point to […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia’s COVID-19 cases hit record as some regions impose curbs” – Reuters

Coronavirus File Photo adapted from image at cdc.gov

“Russia reported its highest single-day COVID-19 case tally … as some regions imposed a workplace shutdown to combat a surge in infections and deaths. … Six regions, including … Samara and Perm … east of Moscow, [reportedly] began … non-working days on Monday …. Thursday, Moscow will introduce its tightest lockdown measures since June 2020, with only essential shops like […]

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RUSSIALINK: “Russia Hikes Rates as Economists Warn of Triple Threat to Economy” – Moscow Times

Diverse Paper Currency, Coins, Line Graph

The Russian economy faces a surge in coronavirus cases, partial lockdowns and spiraling inflation […]

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RUSSIALINK: “Amid Coronavirus Surge and New Lockdowns, Some Russians Shrug; Conspiracy theories and fatalism are hampering a faltering vaccination push” – Moscow Times

Coronavirus File Photo adapted from image at cdc.gov

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Felix Light – Oct. 21, 2021) For three weeks now, Russia has been setting records for daily deaths from the coronavirus. But even with more than 1,000 Russians dying daily and the Moscow mayor announcing a week-long lockdown in the city, on the capital’s streets panic is hard to detect. “I just got the vaccination, […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia Starts Census Amid Pandemic, Demographic Crisis” – AFP

File Photo of Crowd in Russia Including Person Waving Russian Flag with Eagle

“… Russia’s population has been in near-constant decline since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, due to a low birth rate, an under-resourced healthcare system, and emigration. The coronavirus pandemic, which has killed at least 400,000 people in Russia according to the national statistic agency Rosstat, has seriously aggravated the problem. … This week the country set a […]

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RUSSIALINK: “Russia Reports Another Day of Record Virus Deaths” – Moscow Times

Coronavirus File Photo adapted from image at cdc.gov

A government tally recorded 936 Covid deaths over the past 24 hours. (Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Oct. 8, 2021) Russia broke another one-day coronavirus death toll record Friday, as more regions reimpose restrictions aimed at slowing the spread of the virus and the Kremlin stops short of reintroducing nationwide measures. A government tally recorded 936 Covid deaths over the […]

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At Current Rate, Russia Won’t Vaccinate Half the Population until a Year from Now, Watchdog Group Says

File Photo of Blue-Gloved Hand Holding Syringe and Injecting Arm, adapted from image at nih.gov

(Paul Goble – Window On Eurasia – Staunton, Oct. 3, 2021) Despite Moscow’s claims about first-time vaccinations, the rate of full immunization is going up so slowly that Russia won’t have managed to vaccinate 50 percent of its population in less than a year from now, according to Viktor Kabanov, who is an analyst for the Watching COVID-2019 group (novayagazeta.ru/articles/2021/10/02/proizvodstvo-ne-sovsem-chistoe). […]

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RUSSIALINK: “There can be no forcible vaccination for Covid-19 in Russia – Matviyenko” – Interfax

File Photo of Blue-Gloved Hand Holding Syringe and Injecting Arm, adapted from image at nih.gov

MOSCOW. Oct 6 (Interfax) – Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko has said she is sure there will be no federal lockdown or forcible vaccination for Covid-19 in Russia. “I am positive there will be no federal lockdown,” Matviyenko told reporters on Wednesday. The efforts taken by the government to contain the coronavirus pandemic will allow avoiding this measure, Matviyenko said. […]

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RUSSIALINK: “Western Coronavirus Vaccines May Be Coming to Russia – Kommersant” – Moscow Times

File Photo of Blue-Gloved Hand Holding Syringe and Injecting Arm, adapted from image at nih.gov

The move to relax import rules could potentially allow Russians to have Western coronavirus jabs … as well as Chinese vaccines […]

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RUSSIALINK: “Russian MP calls potential U.S. decision to close door on foreigners vaccinated with Sputnik V discriminatory” – Interfax

File Photo of Blue-Gloved Hand Holding Syringe and Injecting Arm, adapted from image at nih.gov

MOSCOW. Sept 28 (Interfax) – Chairman of the seventh State Duma’s Foreign Affairs Committee Leonid Slutsky has described as discriminatory a decision which the U.S. media say is being prepared in the United States to deny entry for foreigners immunized with the Russian Covid-19 vaccine Sputnik V. “Thus, the U.S. will blatantly embark on a path of ‘vaccine discrimination.’ There […]

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Kremlin Says a New Lockdown Not Being Discussed

Coronavirus File Photo adapted from image at cdc.gov

(Paul Goble – Window On Eurasia – Staunton, Sept. 15, 2021) The announcement that Vladimir Putin has gone into self-isolation has sparked speculation that Russia may face a new lockdown after the elections to fight the pandemic and that the Kremlin has not been fully open about what is going on with the Russian president’s health. That has forced Putin’s […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Vladimir Putin is isolating after possible exposure to the coronavirus” – New York Times

Covid-19 Coronavirus file photo, adapted from image at cdc.gov

“… Putin … said he is isolating because several members of his inner circle tested positive …. that one of the people who tested positive was a vaccinated staff member with whom he had recently interacted ‘very closely in the course of the whole day.’ … Putin has said he was vaccinated with the two-dose regimen of Russia’s Sputnik V […]

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Number of Russians Getting Vaccinated Each Day Falls by Almost Two-Thirds Since July

File Photo of Blue-Gloved Hand Holding Syringe and Injecting Arm, adapted from image at nih.gov

(Paul Goble – Window On Eurasia – Staunton, Aug. 13, 2021) The Russian government does not release all-Russian figures on vaccinations, but the Gogov.ru portal sums up reports from the regions which do. It says that at present some 235,000 Russians are getting their shots each day, down from 600,000 daily in early July (gogov.ru/articles/covid-v-stats). On the one hand, this […]

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RUSSIALINK: “As Coronavirus Fatalities Hit a Record High, Russia’s Vaccination Campaign Falters” – Moscow Times

Covid-19 Coronavirus file photo, adapted from image at cdc.gov

With parliamentary elections looming, the Kremlin is wary of pushing Russians too hard to do something a majority are against — getting vaccinated. (Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Jake Cordell – August 13, 2021) The pace of vaccinations across Russia has dropped by 60% in recent weeks, just as the country breaks records for the number of daily fatalities as […]

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RUSSIALINK: “Russia registers 24,702 new cases of Covid-19, all-time high of 780 deaths in past 24 hours – HQ” – Interfax

Coronavirus File Photo adapted from image at cdc.gov

MOSCOW. July 13 (Interfax) – Russia has registered 24,702 new cases of Covid-19 and a new all-time high of 780 deaths in the past 24 hours, the coronavirus response headquarters said in a statement on Tuesday. “Over the past day, 24,702 Covid-19 cases were confirmed in 85 regions of Russia, including 2,894 asymptomatic cases identified proactively (11.7%),” the headquarters said. […]

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RUSSIALINK: “‘What We Did Before Just Isn’t Working’; Delta Variant Threatens to Overwhelm Russia” – Moscow Times

Covid-19 Coronavirus file photo, adapted from image at cdc.gov

Russia has only vaccinated 13% of its population against Covid-19. With herd immunity a far-off prospect, it now faces the daunting challenge of fending off a highly infectious variant. (Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Pjotr Sauer – June 21, 2021) Two weeks after 82-year-old Kirill Kruchkov died of Covid-19 in the Tula region, 200 kilometers south of Moscow, his family […]

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