Russian journalists housed in former COVID hospital

Russian journalists and presidential flight crew members covering the Putin-Trump summit in Anchorage have been housed in a former COVID-19 field hospital due to a shortage of accommodation, local media reported on Thursday.

Photos and videos circulating online show cots arranged behind curtains at a university sports stadium, previously used as a temporary pandemic facility. The venue now serves as an emergency shelter amid high tourist season, increased security, and limited hotel availability.

Reporters described conditions as makeshift: beds resemble stretchers, sleeping areas are separated only by thin dividers, and men and women share the same space. Drinking water is available, but no meals are provided, and hygiene facilities are minimal.

"Arriving at the Seawolves' university arena to sleep for the night, I discovered that the Red Cross had arranged our stay like a COVID-era hospital," wrote Kommersant reporter Andrei Kolesnikov. "Curtains form two-bed ‘wards,’ there are folding cots, a blanket, pillow, and shared showers. Some were so shocked, I wondered where the ICU and ventilators were."