In mid-November, Russian President Vladimir Putin convened an important virtual meeting with the State Duma to discuss the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. His meeting with the lower house of the Russian parliament was not unusual—it focused on how the country’s regions, which have largely been given autonomy to deal with the virus as they see fit, have been handling it. But something did stand out: the strong presence of an organization called the All-Russia People’s Front (ONF), which has been playing a key role in Russia’s management of the virus over the past few months. Most significantly, the meeting made clear that the ONF is establishing itself as a link between the incumbent United Russia party and the people—a relationship that may prove useful to Putin ahead of parliamentary elections this year and may influence the makeup of the ruling party in years to come.
