Putin gave an address to the Russian Nation on March 25 on the coronavirus epidemic. The news reports have rightly emphasized his postponement of the planned April 22 referendum on his constitutional changes, but the rest is also important.
en.kremlin.ru/events/preside…
en.kremlin.ru/events/preside…
He reassured the nation that the state had taken the required precautionary measures, but this was a global epidemic and Russia could not isolate itself for geographic reasons. He clarified that "it can happen to anyone" and "the best thing to do now is to stay at home."
He gave the population one week of holidays March 28-April 5, but he did not call for a blockage of inter-regional transportation. He offered a long row of social benefits, some concrete, some vague.
The most interesting & controversial was his ending: Interest & dividends to offshores now taxed at 2% will be taxed at 15% and bank deposits of more than $12,000 (1% of all) would be taxed at 13% (now untaxed).
Putin adjusted people's expectation: The global economy is expected to shrink & then of course the Russian economy will shrink as well. Notably, he did not mention oil or the current oil price war launched by Russia. Presumably that means he is ready to continue it.
