Coronavirus has spoiled Vladimir Putin’s coronation party

Vladimir Putin’s traditional ways of dealing with crises don’t work with Covid-19. Unlike previous opponents he has faced, the coronavirus cannot be co-opted, jailed, invaded, bought off, forced into exile, or bullied into submission. And if this weren’t bad enough, it is fast becoming apparent that, in the fight against the pandemic, one of the Kremlin’s biggest problems is itself. Russia has been accused of spreading disinformation abroad, but disinformation is now hampering its response at home.

Russia’s response to coronavirus was initially impressive, shutting its 2,600 mile or so border with China in late January. But it has since been undermined by the nature of the system Putin has built in Russia. This system mixes democratic rhetoric with undemocratic intent. Formal institutions have been replaced by Putin’s personal control, creating what the Russia analyst Mark Galeotti describes as an ‘adhocracy‘. In this situation, the attribute Putin demands in his underlings is loyalty above all else, including competency.