Lancet gives the nod to Russia s coronavirus vaccine, giving a beleaguered Putin a soft-power victory Chris Brown
At first dismissed and ridiculed by Western countries, Russia s Sputnik V vaccine has not only been rehabilitated; it s emerging as a powerful tool of influence abroad for President Vladimir Putin. I think they possibly couldn t be feeling more smug and delighted about the way things are going, said Judy Twigg, a professor of political science at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va., and an expert on the politics of global health. The Kremlin is having a whole lot of problems in other areas right now but this is one unvarnished, unmitigated win they can point to right now.