The Kremlin conceded its coronavirus vaccination drive was struggling and blamed Russians for not getting inoculated as deaths and cases hit new records.

Russia has the highest official virus death toll in Europe and on Friday added 1,064 fatalities and 37,141 new infections.

“We're in a worse situation than a whole series of European countries when it comes to vaccinations,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. “With the sudden rise of more aggressive variants, more people are falling ill. That's the reality,” he said.

Officials have warned that the worst is yet to come, with only 35 per cent of the population fully vaccinated, AFP reports.