Russian President apologizes for not being able to attend CSTO's summit in person

Several dozen people in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle contracted the coronavirus

Several dozen people in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle contracted the coronavirus, as Putin himself said on Thursday, addressing a summit of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) via video link, Qazet.az reports citing TASS.

"You know that unfortunately, I had to cancel my visit to Dushanbe at the last minute. I do regret it but the reason is that as you know, coronavirus cases were identified in my inner circle," Putin pointed out. "It’s not just one or two but several dozen people," he added.

"I will have to comply with the self-isolation regime for several days," the Russian President noted. He apologized for not being able to attend the summit of the CSTO in person.