Russia’s COVID-19 vaccine has become nothing but a political weapon
Observers say the Sputnik V vaccine is aimed more at sowing
political division than fighting the virus
By Jon Henley / he Guardian
Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine has yet to win EU regulatory approval and is likely to play little part in the bloc’s vaccination rollout, but it has achieved what some observers have said is one of its objectives — sowing division among, and within, member states.
“Sputnik V has become a tool of soft power for Russia,” said Michal Baranowski, a fellow with US think tank the German Marshall Fund of the United States. “It’s planted its flag on the vaccine and the political goal of its strategy is to divide the West.”