Pandemic protests test Putin's influence in ex-Soviet space

FILE PHOTO: Law enforcement officers stand behind barbed wire during an opposition demonstration to protest against presidential election results, in Minsk, Belarus August 23, 2020. REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko/File Photo

BISHKEK (Reuters) - When mobs stormed government buildings and hounded the president from office in the Central Asian republic of Kyrgyzstan after disputed elections last month, Vladimir Putin seemed unimpressed.

"Every time they have an election, they practically have a coup," Putin told the Valdai discussion club, a gathering of Russian experts, by video conference from his residence. "This is not funny."