Top stories in the Russian press on Monday, April 27, prepared by TASS

Nezavisimaya Gazeta: China claims to be saving the world from Covid-19

China and the US are using the coronavirus pandemic as a tool in their struggle for global leadership. Beijing claims that its state system made it possible to curb the infection and all allegations that the epidemic’s scope was concealed are nothing but fiction. However, Washington keeps pushing its accusations, Nezavisimaya Gazeta writes.

China has sent medical teams to 16 countries. Over 125 nations and four international organizations have received coronavirus testing systems, protective gear and equipment from Beijing. China donated $50 mln to the World Health Organization (WHO) in March and April.

Daniel Lynch, a professor at the City University of Hong Kong, believes that Beijing is not guided only by humanitarian considerations. First, if Beijing fails to help other countries combat the pandemic, it may once again hit China. Second, China seeks to protect its long-term interests in those countries involved in its One Belt One Road project.

However, Washington is doing everything to make the world and the American people believe that Beijing is to blame for all their troubles. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and intelligence chiefs are tirelessly focusing on this. In addition, Republican senators have embarked on using propaganda attacks against China in the coming presidential race. The National Republican Senatorial Committee has issued a memorandum emphasizing three things: it was China that triggered the pandemic by concealing the coronavirus outbreak, the Democratic Party is too soft on China, and there is a need to impose sanctions on China.

Chief Research Associate at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute for the US and Canadian Studies Vladimir Batyuk told the newspaper that "only four months ago, everyone was sure that Trump would be triumphantly reelected." "The economy was on the rise, and unemployment was declining. But now, on the one hand, the coronavirus pandemic came like a bolt from the blue, and on the other, an economic crisis has followed with an oil price plunge dealing a blow to the US economy. All this may have enormous negative consequences for the incumbent US president. This is why the memo is aimed at distracting voters from these problems. The only thing left to do is to blame everything on China," the expert emphasized.

Kommersant: US informs Russia of grievances over Open Skies Treaty

Kommersant has found out that the United States presented its written grievances over the Treaty on Open Skies to Russia. A document on the matter was handed over to the Russian delegation during talks that took place in Vienna back in January. Moscow deemed that the document was made "in a peremptory manner." Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told the paper that "it is the US that is violating the treaty and wants to pull out of it, not Russia."

Russian top diplomat Sergey Lavrov said last week that judging by the signals from Washington, US officials were about to announce their withdrawal from the Treaty on Open Skies, a multilateral agreement that permits parties to conduct reconnaissance flights over each other’s territory in order to boost mutual trust. The Pentagon and US Department of State are evasive about the United States’ potential withdrawal from the treaty, but Lavrov confirmed for the first time that Moscow was inclined to believe those experts who said that Washington had already made up its mind.

Kommersant has also discovered that the Treaty on Open Skies was brought up at the January consultations on strategic stability, which involved Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov and US Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Ford. The Russian diplomat confirmed to the paper that Moscow had received the relevant document. "Russia provided detailed responses to all of the US grievances and clarified its position, including a number of aspects that point to the United States’ non-compliance," Ryabkov added.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has recently released a detailed comment on its website, which makes it clear that Moscow accuses Washington of five cases of the treaty’s violation. Ryabkov believes that problems with the treaty come from Washington’s stance.

"The problem is that the Americans are unwilling to make agreements," he told the newspaper. "Like with other contentious issues, they just seek to impose their position that cannot be subject to adjustment, and demand that we simply accept it. However, it is impossible because we have an opposite view of the situation," the senior Russian diplomat pointed out.

Nezavisimaya Gazeta: Kim dead or alive, the question still looms

Conflicting reports keep coming in about the health of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who hasn't been seen in public since April 11. There are numerous reports claiming that he is seriously ill and even dead. However, they all cite anonymous sources, while there is no official confirmation of the North Korean leader's illness or death, Nezavisimaya Gazeta wrote.

A vice director of the Hong Kong Satellite Television (HKSTV) company made it into the headlines over the weekend, announcing the death of Kim Jong-un. However, there are two things that make the announcement lack credibility. First, the vice director did not reveal the source of the news, and second, Hong Kong media outlets, HKSTV included, have never been famous for their knowledge of North Korea's affairs.

Anyhow, the media is now buzzing about who may take the helm of the country if Kim Jong-un does in fact die. Konstantin Asmolov, an expert at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute for Far Eastern Studies, told the paper that all those discussions were speculative.

"North Korea is a closed country and the information that comes from there provides scope for speculations. In any case, there hardly is an organization - at least among those that contact the media - that has reliable information on what is going on in the country’s ruling circles," the expert pointed out.

North Korea’s government traditions make it clear that only a member of Kim Jong-un’s family can succeed him. His younger sister Kim Yo-jong, who is considered to be his close advisor, is unlikely to become the country’s next leader because she is a woman. Other candidates particularly include the incumbent leader’s brother Kim Jong-chul. Kim Jong-un also has children but there is little information about them. Finally, there is Kim Han-sol, the Macau-based son of Kim Jong-un’s half brother Kim Jong-nam, who was killed several years ago supposedly on the order of the North Korean leader. However, Kim Jong-un has no official successor. If he is really dead, North Korean may see a tough struggle for power.

Rossiyskaya Gazeta: Global shutdown sets off rising clouds

The coronavirus pandemic has made a huge impact on the IT industry, boosting segments that were not expected to grow, including video conferencing and over-the-top (OTT) media services. The sales of laptops, TV sets and game consoles have skyrocketed, Rossiyskaya Gazeta writes.

Cloud services are among the segments that are considered to be promising. Marketing Director at NetApp Russia and CIS Irina Chernova expects the number of cloud users to increase in areas that will see growth because it will require companies to quickly establish infrastructure to promote their existing projects and launch new ones.

"The current situation shows that digital technologies allow businesses to be more effective, stable and capable of activities in a changing environment. For instance, companies that have moved to the cloud system gained a competitive advantage," said Ilya Letunov, chief of Mail.ru Cloud Solutions.

Many companies have taken note of digitization’s benefits and now plan to continue working in that direction but it is still unclear how the current situation will impact their revenues and whether they will be able to fund relevant projects, Country Manager Russia and CIS at Check Point Software Technologies Vasily Dyagilev pointed out.

According to Director of the Cloud Solutions Practice at AT Consulting Mikhail Barablin, no one can say at the moment how long the coronavirus lockdown will last. In his view, the telecommuting market and related IT services will stop growing as their popularity declines. "I think the market will grow by 10-15% compared to last year. It is currently at its peak but its popularity is most likely temporary, though it will provide a significant boost to cloud and telecommuting services," he emphasized.

Izvestia: Domestic abuse surges amid coronavirus quarantine

Russian regional governors need to work on setting up crisis centers for women fleeing domestic violence, the Russian government commission on crime prevention said in a recommendation to regional authorities. Experts interviewed by Izvestia, in turn, point out that the coronavirus lockdown has exacerbated the issue of domestic violence.

As it turns out, married couples and partners tend to quarrel more often now. In March, the national women helpline received 2,537 calls from domestic violence victims, which is 24% more compared to February.

Cases of domestic abuse are rising amid the lockdown, family law expert Viktoria Danilchenko confirmed. According to her, aggression is increasing even in families where no such things have happened before. Being locked up for a long time affects the abuser’s emotional state, making them assault their family members, the expert explained.

The nationwide quarantine is making the situation worse, Danilchenko added. It is hard to estimate the number of shelters that have closed down but even those that are still open have stopped accepting new people. Only those who arrived before the pandemic remain there, the expert said.

Domestic violence victims could possibly find shelter in hotels that have no clients at the moment, if their owners agree to support such a social initiative, Head of the Ingo crisis center Elena Bolyubakh suggested. However, the number of such women is not high, she admitted. "We don’t see a rise in physical violence judging by the requests that are coming to us. Women have to face psychological violence more often," she said.