They’re still baking at the Factory of Happiness. Staff in face masks sprinkle nuts and berries on to buns and pipe chocolate into pastries, but only a handful are left working the production line and their creations are for takeaway only now.

The coronavirus lockdown has forced the firm to close its chain of family-friendly cafes, leaving the business struggling to stay afloat. But its owner says the state isn’t holding out any lifelines. So when Anastasia Tatulova came face-to-face with Russia’s president, she didn’t hold back. “I’ll try to beg for your help without crying, but this really is a tragedy,” she told Vladimir Putin last month, informing him that “half-measures” of support would not work.(BBC)…[+]