Coronavirus did what the German army couldn’t — force Russia to retreat.
Vladimir Putin postponed an event commemorating the end of WW2 as his country finds itself battling coronavirus.
Russians planned to congregate in Red Square on May 9 to celebrate the 75-year anniversary of the Red Army’s defeat of the Nazis. Putin has not altogether canceled the event, which is to include marching bands and a military parade featuring 15,000 troops, according to the Moscow Times.
Russia reported a surprisingly low number of coronavirus cases in March, when Putin said the situation was “under control.” Only one death had been reported until a month ago, according to Politico. Johns Hopkins University now reports more than 32,000 Russians have been infected by the virus and 271 have died.
Putin’s government reportedly cleared the way for doctors to treat patients with the controversial malaria drug hydroxychloroquine Thursday. President Trump has advocated for the largely untested prescription med as well. Doctors in the U.S. have expressed mixed feelings about the potential remedy, which can include side effects risky to patients with heart problems.
The Soviet Union, which broadly dissolved into the Russian Federation in 1991, lost an incomparable 24 million of its citizens in its efforts to defeat Hitler, according to National WWII Museum. That’s roughly three times the casualties Germany endured.
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