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Disinfo: The EU is waging a vaccine war against Russia

Summary

A war of vaccines is being carried out by the West against Russia in order to discredit the Russian-developed Sputnik vaccine and Russia’s efforts to curb the coronavirus pandemic.

Disproof

Pro-Kremlin disinformation part of a narrative aimed at promoting Russia's Sputnik vaccine.

While, due to the pressing nature of the coronavirus crisis, there has undoubtedly been a race for safe and efficient vaccines against COVID-19, the narrative, according to which Russian-developed vaccines are attacked solely because they are developed in Russia, is false.

Western countries have not purchased the Russian-developed Sputnik vaccine, however, they have not done so because of Sputnik's place of origin, but instead, because of transparency concerns over the vaccine's development. There is credible evidence that the Russian government pressed Russian scientists and researchers to be the first in the world to develop a vaccine against Covid-19, and did everything to shorten the process, raising concerns about the safety and efficiency of the Sputnik vaccine.

In addition, Western vaccine developers are repeatedly mocked in Russian state media.

For more disinformation cases on vaccines and vaccination programmes, click here.

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publication/media

News Front - Hungarian (Archived)
  • Reported in: Issue 225
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 30/12/2020
  • Language/target audience: Hungarian
  • Country: EU, Russia
  • Keywords: coronavirus

Disclaimer

Cases in the EUvsDisinfo database focus on messages in the international information space that are identified as providing a partial, distorted, or false depiction of reality and spread key pro-Kremlin messages. This does not necessarily imply, however, that a given outlet is linked to the Kremlin or editorially pro-Kremlin, or that it has intentionally sought to disinform. EUvsDisinfo publications do not represent an official EU position, as the information and opinions expressed are based on media reporting and analysis of the East Stratcom Task Force.

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