'Stop waiting for Putin': Russian president takes backseat in crisis
by Andrew Roth in Moscow from on (#51XK7)
Putin is working remotely and mainly focusing on cushioning blow to Russian economy
Vladimir Putin has taken a backseat in tackling Russia's coronavirus outbreak, working remotely from his residence in the Moscow suburbs and delegating powers that he has spent a generation mostly accumulating in the Kremlin.
Strict quarantine measures and border closures have been imposed by trusted lieutenants including the Moscow mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, and the new prime minister, Mikhail Mishustin, with officials leading parallel efforts to contain the virus and its economic fallout.
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