Observations on Russia’s COVID-19 Politics

Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine has become for various reasons, a topic of geopolitical struggle, a source of vaccine nationalism and Russia’s soft power, and conversely, a source of Western vaccine nationalism also. Global competition over the souls and minds of low-resource countries will continue since 80 percent of their population will not receive a vaccine this year. In this context, Sputnik V is not only a medical achievement and a step towards overcoming the pandemic, but it has also interpreted a political victory for the Russian regime. Politicization and suspicions over the vaccine, the lack of transparency and deep distrust of the Russian authorities’ actions against COVID-19, and the impact of the pandemic, as well as several factors related to Russian political culture, have caused problems for the regime. The general lack of trust and the public belief in conspiracy theories, as well as widespread vaccine skepticism, have had a significant influence on Russians’ attitude towards vaccination and restrictions. A significant portion of populace is skeptical about COVID-19, and the vaccine and vaccinations have not progressed very well so far. The biggest challenge of regime seems to be gain the trust of the population to achieve adequate vaccine coverage and herd immunity.