Satellite images reveal Russia is rapidly building a 500-bed hospital in a field outside Moscow to handle a surge in coronavirus cases

Mikhail Japaridze\TASS via Getty Images

The construction site of a new infectious diseases hospital for confirmed and potential patients with coronavirus infection outside of Moscow.

• Russia has reported relatively few cases of novel coronavirus infections compared to other countries.
• However, experts question Russia's claims that the country has been mostly insulated from COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.
• News reports show hundreds of workers constructing a roughly 500-bed hospital about 31 miles (50 kilometers) outside of Moscow.
• New satellite photos reveal the scale of the facility, which is likely to be built in response to the pandemic.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Russia has reported 1,836 cases of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, as of Monday.

That's a relative drop in the bucket compared to the rest of the developed world, certainly relative to the US with its more than 153,000 cases. Until recently, the nation was downplaying its risk and spread of the pandemic, despite having a large migrant workforce and scores of international travelers.

But Russia is now showing unmistakable signs that its coronavirus problem is likely far larger than has been officially reported.

On Sunday, all 11.5 million residents of Moscow were told they "would be forbidden to leave their homes starting Monday and will need special passes to move around the city," The New York Times reported.

New satellite photos that were taken by Maxar also show a large hospital facility rapidly emerging from a field about 31 miles (50 kilometers) outside of Moscow's city center. Reports over the past three weeks suggested Russia was planning to construct multiple coronavirus hospitals, and several have recently broken ground.

The construction site near Moscow is very large at about 106 acres (43 hectares), according to a March 19 report by RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. The outlet also quoted Fyodor Katasonov, a pediatrician and medical specialist at Moscow's Global Medical Systems clinic, as saying the hospital's appearance is "the necessary, belated minimum" response to the pandemic's spread.

The following satellite images show the scale of the site and the pace of activity from above.

Do you have a personal experience with the coronavirus you'd like to share? Or a tip on how your town or community is handling the pandemic? Please email covidtips@businessinsider.com and tell us your story.

And get the latest coronavirus analysis and research from Business Insider Intelligence on how COVID-19 is impacting businesses.