Covid-19 crisis: a shot in the arm for Russian e-commerce

A courier with a food delivery service wears protective face mask and gloves as he rides an underground train amid the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak in Moscow, Russia. — Reuters

GDANSK/MOSCOW: The coronavirus crisis has helped fuel a surge in online shopping in Russia that has put even the remote icy expanse of Chukotka on the e-commerce map.

The windswept region in Russia’s far east, where winter temperatures can fall below -50°C (-°58F), has started to boom for online retailers since the pandemic started keeping consumers at home.