The government engaged in “vaccine diplomacy,” which also contributed to the lower vaccine rollout. Overall trust in political institutions remained low meanwhile, Putin’s favorability rating continued to oscillate at 60–64 percent. The government failed to capitalize on “rallying” at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and development of the Sputnik V vaccine. To survive these hard times, the government initiated a series of legislative amendments and preventive repressions of the most prominent opponents of the regime-namely, activist and opposition leader Alexei Navalny, his nonprofit Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), and its regional network. Given the looming public health crisis and stagnating economy, Russian authorities made their bet on security services, repression, and coercion coupled with the rhetoric of “a besieged fortress” surrounded by enemies. The exponential growth of confirmed cases led to the introduction of non-working days and tighter restrictions at the regional level. Russia was one of the countries hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in fall 2021 when the official mortality rate was 180 per 100,000, resulting in 259,107 deaths. The Kremlin worked to hedge any potential risks stemming from opposition mobilization, international pressure, and growing public discontent. President Vladimir Putin and his administration set the ground for the September elections to the State Duma in ways that would ensure desired outcomes. In 2021, the government of Russia moved ever closer to personalist authoritarian rule. ![]()
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