2020 in Russia explained

Events in the year 2020 in the Russian Federation.

Incumbents

• President

Vladimir Putin

• Prime Minister

Dmitry Medvedev (until January 16); Mikhail Mishustin (since January 16);^[1] Andrey Belousov (acting: April 30 to May 19)

Events

Ongoing: COVID-19 pandemic in Russia

January

• January 22 – Russia is seen as the tenth most corrupt country in the world.^[2]
• January 30 – Russia closes its land border with the People's Republic of China to prevent the spread of COVID-19.^[3]

February

• February 20 – Russian authorities suspend the entry of Chinese citizens to Russia for employment, private, educational and tourist purposes, due to fears of the COVID-19 Outbreak.^[4]

March

• March 24 – COVID-19 pandemic: Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin told President Putin at a meeting that "a serious situation is unfolding" and that the relatively low number of confirmed cases could be due to a low level of testing, saying that "there are far more people who are infected" and that the number of people in Moscow suspected of having the coronavirus was about 500.^{[5] [6] [7]} A number of venues and parks in Russia including Crocus Expo in Krasnoyarsk, Exhibition of Achievements of National Economy and Patriot Park in Moscow and Lenexpo in Saint Petersburg were turned into temporary hospitals.^{[8] [9] [10]}
• March 28 – the government decided to close all automobile, railway, pedestrian, river, or other border checkpoints, including on the Belarus border, with exceptions similar to that of the air travel restrictions.^[11]

April

• April 10 – 2020 Russia–Saudi Arabia oil price war: Russia and Saudi Arabia, when implementing the new OPEC+ agreement from May to the end of June 2020, will have to produce no more than 8.5 million barrels of oil per day.^[12]
• April 30 – Russia announced there are more than 100,000 people infected by the coronavirus;^[13] Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said that his tests for coronavirus showed positive results, his First Deputy Andrey Belousov was appointed as Acting Prime Minister.^[14]

May

• May 1 – Vladimir Yakushev Minister of Construction Industry, Housing and Utilities Sector, was hospitalized after he was diagnosed with coronavirus. His deputy was appointed as acting minister.^[15]

June

• June 4 – Russian President Putin agreed to declare a national emergency after the 20,000 tons of diesel spill near Norilsk.^[16]

July

• July 1

• • The 2020 Russian constitutional referendum, Due to Yes Vote, The amendments include sweeping changes to the constitution, including allowing Putin to run again for two more six-year presidential terms,^[17] constitutionally banning same-sex marriage,^[18] enshrine the status of the Russian language, placing the constitution above international law, the minimal residency requirement for presidential candidates will be raised from 10 years to 25; and may not have ever in their life held foreign citizenship or residency.
  • The railway-cargo part of the Krymsky bridge through Kerch Strait has been opened.

August

• August 20 – A Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny felt unwell while being on a place from Tomsk to Moscow. The plane made an emergency landing in Omsk, and Navalny was taken to the hospital, where he fell into a coma. He was transported to Germany shortly after.^[19] The German government later announced that the politician was poisoned.^[20]

September

• September 13 – Local elections were held including the election of the heads of 17 Republics and the election of deputies of legislative bodies in 11 districts of the Russian Federation.^[21] In regions where governors resigned after June 13, 2020, elections were held on a single voting day in 2021. A new governor was elected in Sevastopol, Leningrad Oblast.
• September 21 – Caucasus 2020 (also called Kavkaz 2020) multinational command post exercise will start^[22]

October

• The Investigative Committee of Russia opened a criminal case due to pollution and massive death of marine animals in the Avacha Bay of Kamchatka.^[23]

November

• November 10 – President of Azerbaijan, Prime Minister of Armenia, and President of Russia signed a ceasefire agreement to stop the military conflict the Nagorno-Karabakh region.^[24]

December

• December 2 – President Vladimir Putin launched the COVID-19 vaccination campaign with the Sputnik V vaccine developed at the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology.^[25]
• December 18 – The press service of TNT TV channel announced the closure of the Russian longest-running reality show Dom-2.^[26]
• December 21 – Alexei Navalny's team published the politic's phone conversation with FSB officer Kudryavtsev. According to the recording, the officer admitted that Navalny was poisoned with the nerve agent Novichok. The Federal Security office called it a provocation.^[27]

Deaths

January

See main article: Deaths in January 2020.

• January 1 — Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Blagonravov, 86, Russian scientist.^[28]
• January 2 — Roman Monchenko, 55, Russian rower, Olympic bronze medallist (1996).^[29]
• January 15 —
  • Nikolai Tsymbal, 94, Russian military officer.^[30]
  • Ivan Ustinov, 100, Russian intelligence officer (NKVD, SMERSH, KGB).^[31]
• January 21 — Boris Tsirelson, Russian-Israeli mathematician (b. 1950)^[32]

February

See main article: Deaths in February 2020.

• February 1 - Victor Afanasyev, Russian military actress (b. 1947)^[33]

March

• March 25 – Inna Makarova, Soviet and Russian actress (b. 1926)^[34]

July

• July 2 – Nikolai Kapustin, Soviet and Russian composer and pianist (b. 1937)^[35]

October

• October 2 – A Russian journalist Irina Slavina self-immolated in front of the building of the Nizhny Novgorod Oblast Police.^[36] In her last post on Facebook, she blamed the Russian Federation for her death.^[37]

November

See main article: Deaths in November 2020.

• November 18 – Alexander Dubyanskiy^[38]

December

See main article: Deaths in December 2020.

• December 20 – Vitaly Bakulin, Russian professional football player (b. 1983)^[39]
• December 21 – Valentina Parshina, Russian agronomist and politician (b. 1937)^[40]

Notes and References

1. Web site: CNN. Mikhail Mishustin didn't have an English Wikipedia page on Wednesday morning. A day later, he's Russia's prime minister. Jan 16, 2020. Mary Ilyushina. Jack Guy.
2. Web site: Infobae . México es señalado como el segundo país más corrupto del mundo, a pesar del discurso de López Obrador . es. Mexico is designated as the second most corrupt country in the world, despite López Obrador's speech . Jan 22, 2020 .
3. Web site: Russia closes border with China to prevent spread of the coronavirus. Ellyatt. Holly. 2020-01-30. CNBC. en. 2020-02-19.
4. News: Russia bars entry of Chinese citizens amid coronavirus threat. 2020-02-18. Reuters. 2020-02-19. en.
5. Web site: Moscow's mayor warns Putin that regional officials don't understand coronavirus risks and says low levels of testing could explain Russia's small number of confirmed cases. Meduza. 24 March 2020. 24 March 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200324172633/https://meduza.io/en/news/2020/03/24/moscow-s-mayor-warns-putin-that-regional-officials-don-t-understand-coronavirus-risks-and-says-low-levels-of-testing-could-explain-russia-s-small-number-of-confirmed-cases. 24 March 2020. live.
6. News: No real picture of COVID-2019 situation in Russian regions — Moscow mayor. TASS. 24 March 2020. 24 March 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200324215306/https://tass.com/society/1134701. 24 March 2020. live.
7. News: About 500 people in Moscow suspected of having COVID. TASS. 24 March 2020. 24 March 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200324215321/https://tass.com/society/1134671. 24 March 2020. live.
8. News: В Москве на ВДНХ и в Сокольниках оборудуют временные госпитали. RIA.
9. Web site: Стационары для больных COVID-19 откроют в парке "Патриот" и "Крокус экспо". Vedomosti.
10. News: Временный госпиталь в "Ленэкспо" принял первых пациентов с коронавирусом. RIA.
11. Web site: Принято решение о временном ограничении движения через автомобильные, железнодорожные, пешеходные, речные и смешанные пункты пропуска через государственную границу Российской Федерации, а также через сухопутный участок российско-белорусской государственной границы . Government of Russia . 28 March 2020 . ru . 28 March 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200328141249/http://government.ru/docs/39307/ . 28 March 2020 . live .
12. News: 2020-06-03 . Saudi, Russia agree oil cuts extension, raise pressure for compliance . en . Reuters . 2022-10-12.
13. News: В России зафиксирован рекордный прирост заразившихся коронавирусом . ru . BBC News Русская служба . 2022-10-12.
14. Web site: Михаил Мишустин заразился коронавирусом. И.о. премьера будет Белоусов - ТАСС . 2022-10-12 . TACC.
15. Web site: Владимир Якушев госпитализирован с коронавирусом - ТАСС . 2022-10-12 . TACC.
16. News: Arctic Circle oil spill prompts Putin to declare state of emergency . BBC News . 4 June 2020 . 2020-06-05 . 2020-06-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200605180709/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-52915807 . live .
17. Web site: Эксперты: Путин может не остаться у власти до 2036 года . 2022-10-12 . ГОЛОС АМЕРИКИ . ru.
18. Web site: Песков заявил, что Конституция РФ не позволяет выполнить решение ЕСПЧ по однополым бракам - ТАСС . 2022-10-12 . TACC.
19. Web site: Отравление Алексея Навального. Хроника Врачи разрешили отправить политика в немецкую клинику . 2022-10-12 . Meduza . ru.
20. Web site: 2020-09-03 . Alexei Navalny novichok finding prompts calls for answers from Moscow . 2022-10-12 . the Guardian . en.
21. Web site: Единый день голосования – 2020: Последние новости России и мира - Коммерсантъ . 2022-10-12 . www.kommersant.ru . ru.
22. News: Russian Defence Ministry. 2020-09-08. Russian Defence Minister General of the Army Sergei Shoigu holds teleconference with leadership of Armed Forces. en. 2020-09-10.
23. Web site: Environmental disaster in Kamchatka, Russia . 2022-10-12 . Greenpeace International . en.
24. News: Statement by President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia and President of the Russian Federation . 2022-10-12 . President Of Russia . en.
25. Web site: Путин поручил начать масштабную вакцинацию от коронавируса - ТАСС . 2022-11-02 . TACC.
26. Web site: ТНТ закроет шоу «Дом-2» . 2022-11-02 . Meduza . ru.
27. Web site: 2020-12-21 . 'Do you remember the underwear's colour?' - Navalny's call with duped spy . 2022-11-02 . the Guardian . en.
28. Web site: Не стало знаменитого конструктора БМП. https://web.archive.org/web/20200922043239/https://oblast45.ru/publication/30265. dead. September 22, 2020. oblast45.ru.
29. Web site: Ушёл из жизни Роман Витальевич Монченко | ФГСР. https://archive.today/20200112214222/http://rowingrussia.ru/blog/2020/01/03/ushyol-iz-zhizni-roman-vitalevich-monchenko/. dead. January 12, 2020.
30. Web site: Соболезнование в связи с кончиной Николая Андреевича Цымбала | Российский Союз ветеранов. https://web.archive.org/web/20200129071822/https://soyuzveteranov.ru/content/soboleznovanie-v-svyazi-s-konchinoy-nikolaya-andreevicha-cymbala. dead. January 29, 2020. soyuzveteranov.ru.
31. Web site: Военный контрразведчик Иван Устинов скончался на 101 году жизни - Газета.Ru | Новости. https://web.archive.org/web/20201031223110/https://www.gazeta.ru/army/news/2020/01/16/13922750.shtml. dead. October 31, 2020. Газета.Ru.
32. Web site: The School of Mathematical Sciences mourns the death of our colleague, Professor Boris Tsirelson. 2020-09-07. en-exact-sciences.tau.ac.il. en-US.
33. http://redstar.ru/afanasev-viktor-vasilevich Афанасьев Виктор Васильевич
34. News: Умерла Инна Макарова. ru. starhit.ru. March 25, 2020. March 25, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200325111235/https://www.starhit.ru/novosti/umerla-inna-makarova-206197/. March 25, 2020. live.
35. Web site: Home of Nikolai Kapustin | Pianist & Composer. www.nikolai-kapustin.info. 2020-11-02. 2020-07-04. https://web.archive.org/web/20200704074310/https://www.nikolai-kapustin.info/index.html. dead.
36. Web site: Главный редактор нижегородского издания KozaPress Ирина Славина подожгла себя у здания МВД . 2022-10-12 . Meduza . ru.
37. Web site: TJ . 2022-10-12 . tjournal.ru.
38. Web site: Russian scholar Alexander Dubiansky, who taught Tamil for nearly 50 years, passes away - The New Indian Express. 2020-11-19. www.newindianexpress.com.
39. Web site: Ушел из жизни бывший игрок ФК «Дружба» . 2022-03-07 . ru . 2022-03-07 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220307154826/http://fc-druzhba.ru/news?id=294 . live .
40. Web site: Malashenkov . Evgeny . Паршина Валентина Романовна . Parshina Valentina Romanovna . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220405155737/https://www.warheroes.ru/hero/hero.asp?Hero_id=17319 . 5 April 2022 . 21 March 2023 . . ru.