This bleak demographic forecast became even more dire with the arrival of COVID-19. The Kremlin’s initial dismissal of COVID-19 and efforts to spread vaccine disinformation across the West appear to have backfired on its own population, resulting in a vaccination rate that ranks as one of the lowest in the developed world. Low vaccination uptake, coupled with a laissez faire approach to COVID-19 and weak health care system, have contributed to one of the world’s highest COVID-19 fatality rates. Russia’s government counts around 300,000 deaths, but a more reliable estimate from the Economist puts the figure at 1 million, giving Russia the dubious distinction of having more COVID-10 deaths per capita than any other country except Bulgaria. Russia’s recent population decline predates COVID-19, but the pandemic has done much to exacerbate it.