Current Time is the Russian-language TV and digital network run by RFE/RL.
The head cardiologist at a St. Petersburg hospital in Russia has resigned, claiming staff have not been given all the personal protective equipment (PPE) they need during the COVID-19 epidemic. Marianna Zamyatina says she was demoted after complaining to hospital administrators about the lack of equipment.
Russians who share information about the coronavirus crisis that's judged to be "fake news" can now face a fine or even prison time. Critics say the new law can be used to silence independent media and maintain official control over information concerning the pandemic.
Scheduled surgeries for patients in Russia are being canceled as resources are diverted to fight the COVID-19 epidemic. Treatments are being delayed or denied for patients with conditions like cancer, hepatitis and cystic fibrosis.
A shocking video spread online has highlighted the problem of domestic violence amid lockdowns in Central Asia. In Kyrgyzstan, an activist says women have an "ingrained distrust" in the authorities, while a Kazakh crisis center is renting apartments for victims it can't house.
Residents of dilapidated, Soviet-era, communal apartments in the Russian city of St. Petersburg are stuck in lockdown without a room for bathing or showering. They usually use bathhouses to wash, but those have been closed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Videos have emerged on social media that show Russian police forcibly detaining people for allegedly breaking laws imposed as part of efforts to restrict the spread of the coronavirus in the country. Lockdown laws in Moscow and other cities require residents to have electronic passes to travel by car or public transport.
In Karelia and Nizhny Novgorod, parents are complaining about food packages given to their children in lockdown to replace school lunches. They say they are getting expired food and rotten potatoes.
Three Moscow doctors told Current Time about their experiences with COVID-19, describing how quickly patients can deteriorate and how testing is not always working.
Authorities in Russia's North Caucasus region of North Ossetia have arrested opera singer Vadim Cheldiyev for initiating anti-government rallies.
Small businesses in Russia say promised measures to cushion the blow of the coronavirus lockdown have not been delivered. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicted on April 14 that the Russian economy would shrink by more than 5 percent this year, which many economists say could put millions out of work.
Ambulances have been forced to line up and wait for hours outside Moscow hospitals overwhelmed by the influx of suspected coronavirus patients. As Russia recorded its highest daily increase of patients, President Vladimir Putin conceded that the situation was getting worse every day.
Doctors and nurses treating patients with COVID-19 are enduring brutally long hours, the emotional toll of mounting deaths, and the fear of becoming sick themselves.
Garlic and lemon prices have tripled amid shortages in markets in Tajikistan. The rise is reportedly due to a belief among some that they offer protection against the coronavirus. Medical experts say they offer no defense, while the World Health Organization says it's not just fighting a pandemic, but also "an infodemic of misinformation."
Across former Soviet countries, lockdowns due to the coronavirus are hitting the poor hardest. The many workers in the gray areas of the economies have been left destitute and even homeless, while some charities that might provide help are closing down.
Tightrope walking has been a tradition in the Yusupov family of Uzbekistan for almost a century. Children are taught to walk the wire before they even reach the age of 2, with younger performers paid more to perform.
A gas explosion destroyed several floors of a residential block located in the city of Orekhovo-Zuyevo, some 85 kilometers east of Moscow, on April 4. (Current Time)
Caretakers of public cemeteries in Dnipro, a city in southeastern Ukraine, have been ordered to dig 600 graves for potential coronavirus victims. Undertakers could be seen working on April 3. (Current Time)
Kyrgyz migrant workers stranded at an airport in the Russian city of Novosibirsk resorted to desperate measures to highlight their struggle to get back home. About 200 Kyrgyz citizens had been camped out at Tolmachevo Airport since March 27, when both Kyrgyzstan and Russia canceled international flights in a bid to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Some of them went on a hunger strike after being forced to sleep on hard floors and seating.
Authorities in Turkmenistan have yet to admit there are any cases of the coronavirus in the country. Now, officials are making sure the word doesn't appear in print or casual conversations either.
How do people stay safe, strong, and sane during the prolonged isolation imposed by the coronavirus pandemic? A Tajik opera performer in Italy entertains by singing from his balcony. A Tajik marathon runner keeps fit by running back and forth on his tiny terrace in Austria. And a Russian ballet dancer, also in Austria, talks about training at home.
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