Support The Moscow Times!

Russia Should Quarantine Itself to Halt Coronavirus, Billionaire Deripaska Says

Oleg Deripaska Flickr / World Economic Forum (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

Russia should enter full quarantine due to the threat of coronavirus in the country, billionaire businessman Oleg Deripaska wrote on his Telegram channel Friday.

"The first step is to close all borders tomorrow, cancel all mass events and provide people with the opportunity to spend 60 days at home," he said.

The businessman wrote that if the necessary measures are not taken to prevent the virus' spread, the consequences would be more serious than the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

According to Deripaska, Russia is not ready for the coronavirus epidemic and people are massively ignoring the basic precautions. 

"This is not a panic, not a manifestation of the helplessness of society, but the only right decision," he said.

Russia has reported 45 cases of coronavirus infections on its territory so far and taken measures to stop the spread of the virus, including closing most of its border entries with China and limiting flights with Europe.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more