Putin enlists the military following record jump in coronavirus cases

Total number of confirmed cases up a third overnight to 658 nationwide

Putin wearing protective gear visits a hospital in Moscow where coronavirus patients are being treated (SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images)

Vladimir Putin has ordered snap checks on the readiness of Russian troops to deal with coronavirus following a record daily increase in the number of coronavirus cases in country.

The increase of 163 to 658 was approximately three times the previous record, stoking fears that the scale of local problem is bigger than previously thought.

A majority of the new cases (120) were in Moscow. But a worrying picture is also developing across the country, with the virus now recorded in 55 of Russia's 85 regions.

In a statement published on Wednesday, the state consumer watchdog insisted that the cases were all imported and did not yet represent a domestic epidemic.

The national leadership appears to be taking the issue more seriously. Just last week, President Vladimir Putin insisted that the situation was under control; there was “no need to panic.” Timely interventions, including border restrictions and comprehensive contact tracing, had allowed Russia to avoid the worst of the pandemic.

Comments made by Moscow's mayor Sergei Sobyanin on Tuesday suggested the mood was no longer as optimistic. “The situation is serious,” the mayor told Mr Putin during a televised conference. “In reality, we are dealing with significantly more ill people.”

Announcing the involvement of Russia's military in the coronavirus effort, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said training would last three days and bring together army, air force, and strategic missile units. The results will be shared with foreign military diplomats, he added.

A day earlier on Tuesday, Vladimir Putin paid a visit to the hospital treating most of the Moscow’s patients. Footage of him taking to doctors and donning a yellow hazmat was carried on all the major TV networks. He is scheduled to follow this with an address to the nation after 3pm local time on Wednesday.

Russia’s overall confirmed caseload still remains low, but the real number may be much higher owing to a limited testing regime. Experts expect numbers to increase significantly once more testing capacity comes online in the coming days.

Wednesday's dramatic spike will increase increase the pressure on the government to do more to tackle the spread of the virus.

Authorities acted fairly early in closing the border to foreigners — and introducing strict quarantine measures for everyone else. Over 60s have been asked to stay at home. Gyms, swimming pools, children’s entertainment facilities, nightclubs and cinemas have been shuttered.

But much of Russian daily life is unaffected. Business is hardly booming, but shops, restaurants and bars continue to operate unhindered. On the streets, norms of social distancing are yet to become the mantra that they have done elsewhere.

Prime minister Mikhail Mishustin hinted at the probable direction of travel on Wednesday, promising to punish any official failing to take the crisis seriously enough.

“If a governor or minister does not pay sufficient attention to this work, we will … punish them severely,” he said. ”It is simply unacceptable to neglect matters of public health at such a dangerous time.”