The government coronavirus taskforce confirmed 24,439 new coronavirus cases nationwide, the most it has reported since January. Officials blame the surge on the infectious Delta variant and tepid demand for vaccinations.
Moscow, the worst-hit region throughout Russia's pandemic, accounted for 7,446 of Saturday's new cases. But its mayor told residents the rate of vaccinations was picking up and that more than 2.7 million people had received at least one vaccine dose.
Spooked by a new wave of infections that began last month, officials imposed an array of measures to compel or encourage people to get vaccinated.
Vaccines against COVID-19 are widely available in Russia, but polls show many people don't want to have them.