Russia's COVID-19 cases hit half million

Russia has confirmed 8,779 new coronavirus infections Thursday, bringing the country's official number of cases to 502,436.

Over the past 24 hours, 174 people have died, bringing the total toll to 6,532 — a rate considerably lower than in many other countries hit hard by the pandemic.

A total of 8,367 people recovered over the last 24 hours, the overall number reached 261,150.

New infections had plateaued since mid-May when officials were reporting daily increases of around 11,000 cases.

Officials say Russia's high virus count is the result of mass testing and that a steady decline in new infections and low fatality numbers mean that the country can lift restrictions.

Yet critics have cast doubt on the numbers, accusing the authorities of under-reporting deaths and threatening a new wave of infections by lifting restrictions.