and the global climate summits. >> this is a positive message to those who are inviting him. if he decides he would rather have a video conference with a certain group of people, that also tells you something. >> reporter: raising tensions abroad may be a useful way for putin to distract attention from the critical covid crisis at home with death tolls breaking records daily. putin has ordered all russians off work for a week at the end of the month and moscow will face tight restrictions on movements next week. russia's vaccination program still has not reached about two-thirds of the russian population. that it seems is the fault of russians. >> unfortunately, we see the dangerous consequences of the low level of vaccination in our country. >> reporter: as winter approaches and russia suffers international isolation, many russians may begin to tire of their leader's snarls.