At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Russian President Vladimir Putin was one of the most protected state leaders in the world — and he still is, despite the relaxation of coronavirus measures around the world.
Everyone with access within a kilometer radius of the Russian leader (and there are dozens of people, such as doctors, Kremlin officials, pilots and many others) must spend two weeks in quarantine and do no less than four Covid tests, in addition to other medical tests, including in some cases stool samples.
How does the system that protects Vladimir Putin’s health work?
“And then it was my turn. We shook hands and I conveyed to him [Vladimir Putin] best wishes from all war veterans in our republic,” Akhat Yulashev, a retired general from the Russian region of Tatarstan, told local media when he returned from a trip from the Russian capital Moscow. [Putin] smiled at me. It was a big milestone for me!”
The 94-year-old general traveled to Moscow to participate in the May 9 Victory Day parade on Red Square. But as he would have close contact with Putin, he first had to spend two weeks in quarantine in a Moscow hotel, which he described as “luxurious”.
‘Unprecedented expenses’
The BBC was unable to speak to General Yulashev in person, but he was said to have been one of around 400 people who were quarantined for 15 days in two luxury Moscow hotels (one five-star and one four-star) before a close encounter with the Russian leader that day.
Apparently, even with the slowing of the pandemic and the emergence of vaccines, Putin’s protective measures remain in place. The Russian president commutes much more between his residences now than he has in the past two years, and the same goes for his close officials and medical staff.
Data available from Russian state sources reveal that around 3.2 billion rubles (almost R$300 million) were spent on protecting Putin’s health through these measures.
Mikhail Fremderman, an Israeli doctor who until 2014 lived in Russia, describes this scale of spending as “unprecedented”. “From these measures, it is impossible to judge whether the Russian president is experiencing serious health problems. It is more likely to be security precautions.”
Konstantin Balonov, a doctor who treated severe Covid patients in the US, lived in Russia until the mid-1990s. He says Kremlin doctors may be being overly cautious.
‘Too many tests’
Even with the passage of time and the weakening of the pandemic, security measures have not been abolished. Everyone who comes in contact with Putin is required to undergo PCR tests, even though the president has been vaccinated.
New tests have also been added, such as tests for antibodies to Covid, flu, cold and staph infection, as well as stool samples for some.
According to open Russian government sources, since the beginning of 2021, about 1,500 people have undergone various tests.
In February 2022, some Russian media — citing anonymous sources — reported that some Kremlin officials with access to the president had to send stool samples once a week.
Open sources reveal that the crews and personnel involved in transporting the Russian president also undergo regular tests. And there are a lot of tests — PCR tests, antibody tests and stool samples. In total, Putin’s air travel team has spent $2.1 million over the past two years carrying out tests.
In May of this year alone, they did 1,376 Covid tests and 98 stool samples, in addition to 447 blood tests. A significant number spent two weeks in quarantine in hotels on the outskirts of Moscow.
A Russian doctor who specializes in infectious diseases told the BBC that this “excessive level of testing” can only have a medical reason behind it. “These tests are redundant with the normal PCR tests,” he says, adding that he knows of no fecal Covid infections.
Critically ill patients often get tested for other infections and greatly reduce contact with the outside world, the doctor says, but only when they are about to have surgery.
He says it’s likely that all these tests are not based on medical science, but rather in an attempt by low-level employees to “flatter up to their bosses — to show they’ve thought of everything”.
Medical team
In March 2021, the Kremlin announced that President Putin had been vaccinated. It was later announced that the Russian-made vaccine, Sputnik V, was used. Vaccine testing processes were questioned by many experts outside Russia.
After the vaccination, Putin returned to travel more frequently around the country, staying at his residences outside of Moscow. On these trips, he is often accompanied by doctors.
The BBC found, analyzing open Russian government sources, that up to four doctors accompany President Putin on visits to his holiday home on beautiful Lake Ujin, which is 400 kilometers northwest of Moscow. Tens of thousands of dollars were spent on accommodations for the medical staff.
There is also data showing that doctors accompany Putin on his trips to another residence, in Sochi, in southern Russia.
The BBC found that a team of doctors also accompanied the Russian president as he attended business forums in St Petersburg and Vladivostok. The latter is a major logistical challenge, as Vladivostok is in the Russian Far East, an 11-hour flight from Moscow.
Independent Russian media reported that some Kremlin employees spent up to 150 days in a single year in quarantine in individual hotel rooms.
How does this compare to other countries?
Israeli doctor Mikhail Fremderman says current Covid measures in Israel are the same for the head of government as for ordinary citizens. No additional measurements or tests are required. The Israeli prime minister is accompanied by doctors, but only on trips abroad.
Doctor Konstantin Balonov says he has never heard of anyone being tested for Covid through stool samples and the only tests he knows of are PCR or antigen.
Balonov says his sources who are familiar with White House medical protocols have confirmed that no testing or quarantine is applicable to media professionals, although at the start of the pandemic, journalists attending press conferences at the White House were required to submit negative test results. of Covid and wear mask.
Text originally published here.
