Press Release, 17.04.2026

Photo by Artyom Krasnov, Kommersant

In 2026, Moscow “retains risks of deterioration in the COVID-19 situation,” and so a “heightened readiness regime remains in force” across Moscow, with the global risks of infection “assessed as high”. This is stated in a letter from Andrei Zakharov, Deputy Head of the Moscow Department of Regional Security and Anti-Corruption, in response to a formal inquiry from Kirill Goncharov, Chair of Moscow Yabloko.

It should be noted that on 5 March, Goncharov had demanded that the Moscow Mayor’s Office either revoke the “covid” decree — which has been in force in Moscow since 2020 and serves as the formal pretext for banning any public event in the city — or explain the reasons why it remained in effect after six years. The 5 March inquiry was prompted by the Mayor’s Office’s refusal to permit a Yabloko rally against Internet blocking, with the refusal justified on the grounds of the “covid restrictions” in force in Moscow and the risks of viral infection spreading.

In his letter of 15 April, Andrei Zakharov states that the “covid” decree was adopted by the Mayor of Moscow in 2020 in response to the global pandemic and in line with WHO recommendations on reduction of the spread of infection. He then notes — without citing any specific regulations or dates — that “in light of the epidemiological situation in Moscow, a partial lifting of the previously introduced restrictive measures took place”.

«Вместе с тем глобальный риск по-прежнему оценивается как высокий и в настоящее время проводятся долгосрочные меры борьбы с вирусом SARS-CoV-2, распространение которого рассматривается как актуальная проблема здравоохранения, – сообщает в письме Андрей Захаров. – Риск осложнения ситуации по заболеваемости COVID-19 по-прежнему остаётся, в связи с чем в настоящее время на территории города Москвы продолжает действовать режим повышенной готовности».

“At the same time, the global risk continues to be assessed as high, and long-term measures to combat the SARS-CoV-2 virus are currently under way, with its spread regarded as an ongoing public health concern,” Andrei Zakharov writes. “The risks of deterioration in the COVID-19 situation remain, and accordingly the heightened readiness regime continues to be in force on the territory of Moscow.”

According to Zakharov, “cases of infection with the novel coronavirus, as well as other infectious diseases” are still being recorded in Moscow today, while vaccination rates among the population are declining. Taken together, these factors give rise to “a risk of a sudden increase in the number of cases of both the novel coronavirus and other infectious diseases, which could place additional pressure on healthcare workers and the Moscow healthcare system as a whole”.

Zakharov offers no explanation as to why vaccination rates have fallen, how acute the current infection situation is, or on the basis of what regional or federal Ministry of Health statistics officials are drawing such conclusions. The sole legislative reference in the letter is a mention of Decree No. 14 of the Chief State Sanitary Inspector of the Russian Federation, dated 8 July 2025, “On measures for the prevention of influenza, acute respiratory viral infections, and novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) during the 2025–2026 epidemic season” — it is on the basis of this document, Zakharov explains, that the Mayor of Moscow’s “covid” decree of 5 March 2020 remains in force.

Neither Zakharov nor the Mayor’s Office as a whole has any interest in lifting the restrictions linked to the threat of coronavirus spreading in Moscow, Kirill Goncharov observes:

“These restrictions have been in force for six years and are formally very convenient for suppressing any public activity, for instance, when Yabloko submits an application to hold a rally, officials can easily refuse permission simply by citing the threat of coronavirus. I would remind you that the “covid” decree is used solely and exclusively as a political instrument. It does not apply when the Mayor’s Office organises mass cultural or sporting events, when large-scale public celebrations are held and dozens of thousands of people take to the streets of Moscow, or when the city’s entire infrastructure serves millions of Muscovites every day in cafés, restaurants, and the metro.”

Moscow Yabloko will continue to challenge the Mayor of Moscow’s “covid” decree and to seek its revocation, the regional branch of the party has announced.