Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the military could be deployed to help tackle the coronavirus outbreak, after the number of cases in the country rose sharply.
He told government ministers that “all the capabilities” of the Russian military “can and should be used”.
His comments came as Russia recorded its largest daily rise in confirmed cases, with 2,558 new infections.
It brought the total to 18,328, with the vast majority of those in Moscow.
“We see that the situation is changing almost daily and, unfortunately, it is not changing for the better,” Mr Putin said during a video meeting with top officials on Monday.
“The number of sick people is increasing, including more and more cases specifically of the severe form of the disease. The next few weeks will be decisive in many respects,” he added.
He also pointed to other European countries, such as Italy, that have utilised the military in their response to the Covid-19 crisis.
“We need to use this experience,” he said. “The capabilities of the Russian Defence Ministry, if necessary, can and should be used here.”
Russia’s official death toll stands at 148, which is far lower than in many other European nations such as Italy, Spain and France.
But experts have warned the country is in the early stages of the epidemic.
