Support The Moscow Times!

Moscow Woman Dies on Street Bench After Negative Coronavirus Test

Surveillance footage showed the woman moving around in pain on the bench. Screenshot Youtube

Authorities in Moscow are reportedly investigating the death of a woman on a bench outside her home on the day she was discharged after testing negative for the coronavirus.

Surveillance footage shared by Russia’s REN TV broadcaster showed the woman it identified as Yelena Chuklova, 48, moving around in pain on the bench as social workers and neighbors tried and failed to gain entrance to her apartment block. The outlet reported that Russia’s Investigative Committee has opened an inquiry into the reports of the woman’s death.

“The woman felt worse near the entrance, the social workers immediately called an ambulance,” the Moscow Mayor’s Office’s health department said in a statement Monday. “The ambulance arrived within 11 minutes and, unfortunately, pronounced her dead.”

The woman died Saturday, a day after she was hospitalized with suspected pneumonia, the health department said. It did not identify her by name.

An autopsy showed the victim died from acute heart failure, the health department said. It noted that she had cardiomyopathy, a heart muscle disease that can lead to heart failure, and “pronounced changes in the organs of alcoholic origin.”

“There were no signs of pneumonia or other infectious diseases,” the health department said.

An internal investigation has been launched in connection with the incident, it added. 

The Investigative Committee’s Moscow branch has not yet commented on the woman’s death in an official capacity.

Meanwhile, Moscow’ crisis center has said that 60% of the city’s confirmed coronavirus patients were asymptomatic. The Russian capital’s mild Covid-19 cases are treated at home instead of in the hospital.

Moscow had reported 204 deaths among coronavirus patients as of Monday. 

Russia had reported a total of 47,121 coronavirus cases — 10th in the world — and 405 deaths as of Monday. 

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss 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