President Vladimir Putin says the COVID-19 outbreak in Russia has stabilized with the tally of new infections declining.

Iran PressEurope: President Vladimir Putin said Friday the coronavirus outbreak in Russia has begun to abate, creating a positive environment for easing restrictions, as officials defended the country's data on deaths against claims they were being under-reported, according to ABC News.

Speaking during a video conference with top officials, Putin pointed at the decreasing number of new infections in Moscow and other regions. “The positive dynamic is not so fast as we would like it to be, sometimes even unstable, but it does exist,” he said.

Russia currently ranks second after the United States in the number of infections with 326,448 cases, including 3,249 deaths.

The Russian leader said a steady drop in new cases sets the stage for further lifting of restrictions, but he also emphasized the need to preserve hospital capacity in case of a new wave of contagion.

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