The particular sleight of hand used this time was different, Matthew Fisher says, but the result of Russia's national referendum was the same: the country will get a lot more Putin.

Opposition politician Alexei Navalny called the vote an illegitimate and illegal show designed to legalize Putin's presidency for life.

Putin is all but guaranteed to get the result he wants following a massive campaign to get Russia’s voters to say “yes” to the changes.r

Russia called the report "nonsense."

Trump over the weekend had raised the prospect of expanding the G7 to once again include Russia.

Speaking during a live video call with top officials, Putin said the pace of Russia's coronavirus outbreak has slowed down, allowing the nation to safely hold the vote.

The Trump administration says it wants out of the Open Skies Treaty because Russia is violating the pact, and imagery collected during the flights can be obtained quickly at less cost from U.S. or commercial satellites.

"Yes, I've gotten sick. I'm being treated," Dmitry Peskov, a key Putin aide, told the Interfax news agency on Tuesday.

Matthew Fisher spent eight years living in Russia. He says it will be the next big lethal nest for the coronavirus.

Pat Stapleton was a part of many big games and big moments during the course of his life.