Language:

See all Disinfo Cases - Detail

Disinfo: Sputnik V is effective against the new strain but Europe refuses to buy it for political reasons

Summary

It is unclear whether it [the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine] will be effective against all the new strains. BioNTech has no such evidence yet.

The effectiveness of Sputnik V against the new strain has been proven. But Europe refuses to buy it for political reasons.

Disproof

The claim advances a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the Russian-made coronavirus vaccine, Sputnik V; casting Russia as the spearhead of the global race to develop effective treatment for COVID-19. This is a part of a campaign aiming to promote the Russian Sputnik V vaccine.

The claim that the West, in particular, Europe, refuses to buy the Russian Sputnik V vaccine for political reasons is unfounded. If the Russian developer wished to place their vaccine on the EU market it would have to approach the European Medicines Agency (EMA) with a request for a rolling review or a marketing authorization application, just as any other vaccine developer. So far (as of 12/01/2012) the EMA has not received an application for the sales of Sputnik V on the European market.

The EMA has already issued a conditional marketing authorization for BioNTech and Pfizer vaccine.

The related disinformation claims alleging that the West is fighting a Russian vaccine, not a virus; that Western attacks on the Russian coronavirus vaccine are a corporate cold war against humanity; that Russian progress in COVID-19 vaccine has become for the West an outrageous challenge, that Sputnik V is a target of the corporate cold war; that the West wants to discredit the Sputnik V; that the WHO and Microsoft sabotaged the Russian vaccine; that the West criticises the Sputnik V because it can’t accept Russia’s primacy and because its pharmaceutical companies will lose billions of dollars.

Go to search

publication/media

Sputnik Georgia - Russian (Archived)
  • Reported in: Issue 226
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 29/12/2020
  • Outlet language(s) Russian
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: EU, Russia
  • Keywords: Sputnik V, coronavirus, vaccination
see more

The real power in Ukraine is the US embassy

The real power in Ukraine is the US embassy. “If they (the US) need to push something, they summon the Ukrainian minister, give him instructions, then make a joint communiqué, then take a photo.”

Dec 28, 2020
Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Ukraine not backed up with evidence, which is often claimed to be under external control from the US.

The US does not control Ukraine. Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are respected by most of the free world, confirmed by resolutions of the United Nations.

The Arab Spring was organised by the West

18 December 2010 is considered to be the starting point of the riots, unrest and uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa collectively referred to as the Arab Spring.

US and transnational foundations for democracy-promotion were operating in many of the countries where the Arab Spring began. Their activists, who had been trained years before, were at the epicentre of events and passed on colour revolution techniques to the local population. These activists had previously developed such techniques in the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Balkans.

But the attempt by the US and the West to reshape the Middle East and impose Western democracy on the region failed. It is important to note that ISIS emerged in 2013 as a result of the Arab Spring.

Dec 28, 2020
Disproof

Disinformation about the Arab Spring presented with no evidence. This article’s message is consistent with pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about popular protests around the world allegedly incited and funded by the US and other Western states, including colour revolutions in post-Soviet states, the Arab Spring revolts, Euromaidan in Ukraine, protests in Catalonia and others. This narrative claims that protests, disorders and civil uprisings are never manifestations of popular discontent but are "colour revolutions" directed and funded by Western intelligence services or other Western actors in order to destabilise targeted foreign states and bring about regime change.

When the Arab Spring revolts broke out throughout Northern Africa and the Middle East beginning in 2010-2011, Russian media increasingly spread conspiracy theories portraying the uprisings as nefarious “color revolutions” hatched in the United States. Senior Russia security and military officials claimed that the Arab Spring, which got much of its initial traction through social media such as Facebook and Twitter, was a new subversive methodology designed by Western intelligence services to destabilise societies and bring about regime change, first in the Arab world and subsequently in Russia itself.