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Disinformation experts interviewed by the portal, who regularly analyze information sources maintained by the Kremlin and related to Russian state media, said that Russia launched such a campaign in the summer.
The goal of such actions is to undermine vaccines developed by Western companies and question their reliability, while at the same time increasing Russia’s product, the critically acclaimed Sputnik V vaccine.
Activity in Central and Eastern Europe
The tactics, especially since the two companies announced effective vaccines, have only escalated. For example, RT publishes articles attacking the executives of the US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer. It is true that the Kremlin has long tried to convince Russia that it is dealing better with the coronavirus crisis than the West.
In many multilingual articles, the Kremlin praises the narrative that Western vaccines are experimental, unsafe and will not help prevent COVID-19.
“The goal is to cast doubt on Western vaccines,” said Bret Schafer, an expert at the German Marshall Fund, an expert on media and digital misinformation. “This is a strategic effort to strengthen Moscow’s own geopolitical interests.”
In many multilingual articles, the Kremlin praises the narrative that Western vaccines are experimental, unsafe and will not help prevent COVID-19.
By the way, the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the region considered the main time of digital disinformation attacks, seem to be the most active.
“Western vaccine developers rely on poorly analyzed experimental technologies and face hurdles in clinical trials,” said Kirill Dmitriev, director of the Russian direct investment fund that finances the Russian vaccine Sputnik V.
“Scanpix” / ITAR-TASS nuotr./Russian nuo coronavirus vaccine “Sputnik V”
According to experts interviewed by Politico, the analysis shows that the strategy is based on two methods that are activated simultaneously.
You want to raise doubts
In Western Europe and the United States, Moscow is trying to highlight the supposedly harmful side effects of Western coronavirus vaccines. By the way, high-ranking military personnel from major countries in public on such Kremlin measures.
For example, a report was published citing an unrepresentative survey that testified that patients vaccinated with the experimental vaccine complained of headaches and fever.
Another report said that leaders of Western pharmaceutical companies, as soon as they announced effective vaccines, were in a hurry to sell their shares in the company, to make a profit.
Reuters / Photo by Scanpix / Pfizer Coronavirus Vaccine
To be fair, the western media also wrote about it. However, Pfizer soon clarified that the shares had been sold because they had reached a preset price in August.
Moscow is finally glorifying conspiracy theories that companies were specifically waiting for the US presidential election to end – realizing that pharmacists were trying to harm Donald Trump.
Many of these bogus posts are widely shared on Facebook groups where vaccine skeptics have gathered. They are also broadcast on Twitter.
Moscow is famous for conspiracy theories that companies were specifically waiting for the US presidential election to end; understand, the pharmacists were trying to hurt Donald Trump.
It is true that in other parts of the world, especially Eastern Europe, Latin America, India and the Middle East, the Kremlin-sponsored media are much more active in spreading conspiracy theories.
For example, in Ukraine, there have been posts through social media claiming that “American vaccine trials” have harmed the local population. And Sakartvele says the West is looking to undermine confidence in COVID-19 vaccines.
“If people think that vaccines developed in the United States are not working, Russia will have reached a strategic goal,” said Jakub Kalensky, an analyst at the Atlantic Council. “The goal is to encourage people to question and mistrust sources of reliable information.”
Also looking for commercial benefits
Clearly, the Kremlin wants to reap as many commercial benefits as possible. Shortly after Pfizer and BioNTech announced the world’s first tested COVID-19 vaccine, Russia sparked their announcement.
Russia refuses to provide foreign researchers with more investigative data, and only then is it possible to verify that the world is not being misled.
As early as this week, it was proudly reported that a second interim analysis of clinical trial data with Sputnik V showed that the vaccine was 95% effective. Furthermore, it was emphasized that the Russian vaccine, unlike the Western vaccine, can be stored at 2-8 degrees instead of cold.
The independent investigators welcomed such knowledge, but noted that the analysis was based on a small number of study participants. Furthermore, Russia refuses to provide more investigative data to foreign researchers, and this is the only way to verify that the world is not being misled.
Photo by Scanpix / Vaccine in development by Pfizer
“Russian researchers have analyzed only 20 COVID-19 cases and 94 from Pfizer,” said Gillies O’Bryan-Tear of the British College of Pharmaceutical Medicine.
But the Russian state media and the aforementioned Direct Investment Fund immediately began touting the Sputnik V vaccine.
The country’s government has also announced that people around the world are more willing to get vaccinated with the Russian vaccine than others. President Vladimir Putin said a few days ago that Russia was ready to offer Sputnik V to other states.
RT Arabic reports that the number of countries that have already ordered the Russian vaccine is counted, and praise from Chinese leader Xi Jinping is also heard. Latin America is also preparing to accept large shipments of Sputnik V, and indeed the vaccine has reached Russia’s increasingly enthusiastic ally Hungary.
“It just came to our knowledge then. But the main reason is not that it is more important for the Russian government to sow doubts,” Kalensky said.
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