Russia's excess death toll passes 810,000

Russia recorded its deadliest month in decades in October, with the total number of excess deaths since the start of the coronavirus pandemic surpassing 810,000.

Russia’s Rosstat statistics agency said on Friday it registered 247,000 deaths from all causes during October — 90,000, or 57%, more than during the same month of 2019.

It is the fourth consecutive month in which official deaths have surpassed 200,000, as multiple waves of the coronavirus have swept across the country, hitting a largely unvaccinated population amid lax restrictions on mobility and socializing.