210K cases only 1,900 deaths.  Who believes that one?  Why can't a country like Russia give good numbers?

Same reason I don't believe anyone's figures, politics!

Well I believe Europe they are being honest and the U.S. if they quit putting everyone who dies as Covid...maybe Europe is doing the same thing.

I too am troubled by Russia (and many other countries) being willing to admit cases but not deaths.  However, it is still early in the explosion of cases in Russia, and we know that deaths lag case sometimes by weeks.   If the death rate starts to rise in Russia then we can have more confidence in their figures.  

However, the Mayor of Moscow has claimed that the actual figures there are about three times higher than the official figures.  [Yet another country where the local authorities feel that the central Government is minimizing the problems they are facing.]

A correspondent had the story that "pneumonia-deaths" are at a "unusaul level". Thailand had the same kind of pneumonia-numbers. 

Some countries lie on cases because of tourism (Thailand, Spain did that a.o.). I think Russia/Putin "is not happy" with a major Covid19-outbreak AND low oil-prices, Russian troops in Syria, Libya, Venezuela etc. (there are also pension-cuts for the elderly that were very unpopular.)

Most likely also limits in testing.