Russia has shunned lockdowns at the expense of massive casualties from the COVID-19 pandemic. Russian propagandists like to take the worst case outcomes in the West and then say, see, we’re better than they are. In truth, Russia may end up eclipsing the United States and other hard hit western nations for COVID 19 as their vaccination rates are so poor with third and subsequent waves still to come. As many as 400,000 may have died. Nonetheless, Russians are acting as though COVID has run its course. Take the Ismailovsky market, usually a must-visit place for foreign tourists looking for a bit of Russian memorabilia to take home. All pandemic long, it has been deserted. But this past weekend, I saw more vendors that I ever have along with lots of shoppers. The economy is virtually open again here. The nagging question though, is whether the pandemic has run its course here – or is denialism is about to inflict a huge toll on Russia.
