COVID-19: Three Russian doctors mysteriously fall from hospital windows

They are fighting on the front lines risking their lives to save others. It is a battle against a deadly enemy but these warriors are not armed. 

Doctors across the world do not have enough protective gear and are succumbing to the disease. In Russia, the situation is particularly appalling. Three frontline health care workers have fallen out of hospital windows. 

The mysterious incidents took place in just the last two weeks and have aggravated the anger over the working conditions for the frontline workers.

Two of the medics lost their lives while the third one __ an ambulance doctor Alexander Shulepov is now in a serious condition. Shulepov had spoken out about the kind of pressure he and his colleagues were facing. He said he was instructed to work despite testing positive for COVID-19. Just days later, Shulepov jumped out of a hospital window. 

Lying on the hospital bed, Shulepov then retracted his claims. The second video triggered speculation that he backtracked under duress. While investigations continue, three incidents have raised question marks over the kind of pressure doctors in Russia are facing. Not just those on the frontlines even students are bearing the brunt. With the crisis intensifying, medical students are being forced to work in hospitals and if they refused, they are threatened with expulsion. It's a tough choice. Fight a virus despite lack of protective equipment Or get expelled from school.

Meanwhile, the numbers are mounting in Russia. The country reported more than 10,000 coronavirus cases for four days in a row. The latest spike takes the total number of cases to over 165,000.