Passengers sit in the subway, in Moscow on June 27, 2021, amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. (Photo: AFP)

Russia's biggest two cities and main coronavirus hotspots Moscow and Saint Petersburg again set new pandemic highs for deaths from the virus on Monday, an official tally showed.

The Russian capital reported 124 deaths from Covid while second city Saint Petersburg reported 110, topping records both cities had set over the weekend as the highly infectious Delta variant spurs a deadly third wave.