, Columnist
Coronavirus Has Exposed Putin’s Brittle Regime
The Russian president has no challengers, but his failure to handle the Covid-19 and oil price crisis may have long-term implications for his rule.
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Conspicuously absent during the first weeks of Russia’s Covid-19 outbreak, Vladimir Putin is back. Yet his televised interventions from behind a desk at his suburban presidential estate have been heavy on rhetoric and light on action, with day-to-day responsibilities left to others. Meanwhile, the economy is crumbling under the weight of low oil prices and a worsening epidemic. Even the prime minister has fallen ill.
For a president with no challengers, Putin has never looked so vulnerable.