Economics

Putin’s Fear of Unemployment Is Being Exposed by Pandemic

Russia’s strict labor laws make lay offs almost impossible
Situation is deepening poverty after years of falling incomes

Chairs sit on a table at a restaurant in Moscow.
Photographer: Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg

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By Evgenia Pismennaya and Anya Andrianova

May 3, 2020 at 6:00 AM UTC

Updated on

May 4, 2020 at 5:44 AM UTC

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Elena, a 42 year-old Moscow shop assistant, has a family to feed, a mortgage to pay, and half the income she was receiving a month ago. She can’t apply for support because she hasn’t lost her job, but Russia’s labor laws make it almost impossible for her employer to make her redundant.