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Russian President Vladimir Putin will go into self-isolation after cases of the new coronavirus were detected among his entourage.

This means that the 68-year-old leader will not travel to Tajikistan this week for regional security meetings, the Kremlin said. He was due to travel to meet Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rakhmon to talk about the rapid deterioration of security.

The meetings are to involve regional alliances in the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

The Kremlin said in a statement that Mr Putin called Mr Rakhmon to explain he could not travel due to self-isolation, and that he would take part in the meetings via video link instead.

“Putin said that due to cases of coronavirus in his entourage, he has to observe a self-isolation regime for a certain period of time,” the Kremlin said..

Putin has already had two doses of his country’s Sputnik V COVID vaccine.