News of the Day: 27 June 2021

RFE/RL: Friends, colleagues and civil society activists are demanding the reinstatement of a maverick school director in Russia who they say was fired because she refused to give authorities the names of students and staff who joined anti-government protests. Supporters of Yelena Moiseyeva say her dismissal was the latest salvo in a state campaign to stamp out dissent nationwide ahead of parliamentary elections in September.

RFE/RL: More than 100 people in Moscow have died from the coronavirus over the past 24 hours, setting a new record, as Russia faces another wave of the pandemic. Moscow registered 114 deaths from COVID-19, RBK reported on June 27, citing the city’s coronavirus task force. Overall, 599 people in Russia died over the past 24 hours from the pandemic as more than 20,000 new cases were registered. More than 100 died in St. Petersburg from COVID-19 a day earlier, also setting a record, RBK reported. St. Petersburg has about half the population of Moscow.

RFE/RL: The family of a wealthy Russian businessman wants an independent, international expert to investigate the cause of his death. Oleg Burlakov, who had a net worth of $650 million, according to Forbes, died on June 21 at the age of 72. His wife and daughter said in a statement to Forbes that they learned of his death from his lawyers.

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