However, even before the decision to purchase Sputnik V, a number of concerns have been raised about it:

• Before the purchase, Russia falsely claimed that it had filed a request for registration of the Sputnik V vaccine with the European Medicines Agency, even though the actual registration process started much later and still has not been finalized.
• The Slovak regulator repeatedly warned that they had not presented sufficient documentation. Even after the vaccine was purchased, it appeared that about 80% of the requested documentation had still not been provided by the manufacturer.
• The promises of the Russian Federation to deliver millions of doses of the vaccine have been questioned due to the very slow vaccination process and lack of vaccines in Russia itself.
• Russian channel Sputnik 5 tweeted about a false dilemma in Slovakia, accusing pharmaceutical lobbying of the prolongation of the use of the Sputnik V vaccine, instead of the lack of registration.
• A growing number of experts warn that Russia (and also China) are using the distribution of the vaccine not to help other countries in crisis, but rather to spread their political influence.

Ukraine again in the focus of disinformation

In recent weeks, the media have been widely reporting on the increasing Russian military build-up near the border with Ukraine. However, weeks before this incident, Ukraine had been the subject of Russian criticism and pro-Kremlin disinformation, and more so than usual.

This development followed Ukraine’s move to sanction three media channels owned by MP Taras Kozak, a close ally of the Ukrainian oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk and the leader of the “For Life” party, who has a very close and personal relationship with the Russian president. The affected channels owned by Kozak were allegedly actively and openly used as a tool of Russian propaganda and had sought to undermine the authority of the Ukrainian government. They repeatedly spread disinformation narratives about “fascist Ukraine after 2014”, widespread “Russophobia”, and Ukraine as a “failed state” or as “managed from the outside”. Moreover, several experts point out that these channels still denied Russian aggression against Ukraine and demonized the so-called Revolution of Dignity, attacked the Ukrainian language, promoted the Russian vaccine or invited pseudo-experts and pro-Russian activists and bloggers.

Partly in response to that, the Chairman of the Russian State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin claimed that Russia is the “last island of freedom,” even though the Kremlin approaches independent media at home with strong distrust. This is demonstrated, for example, by the Russian law regarding foreign agents which includes independent media and journalists, who are subject to special financial audits.

Recommendations

• Peer-reviewed research results should be more promoted. When it comes to vaccines, states should act according to the recommendations of the European Medicines Agency. It has been shown that vaccines that have not been through the Agency’s registration process bring various problems with them.

• All the vaccines used should undergo a transparent assessment process, and states should consider a principled approach to vaccines, using them in accordance with clearly outlined conditions that all of them must fulfil – including approval of the European Medicines Agency.

• At the same time, states need to invest in independent institutions. In the case of the Slovak Republic, we know that resilient institutions, including the State Institute for Drug Control, are able to withstand political pressure and make fact-based decisions without being influenced.

• The attention of media from around the world has recently been centred on the Russian military build-up at the Ukrainian border. Although these recent developments certainly deserve the attention they have received, other issues, like the long-standing disinformation campaigns faced by Ukraine, should not be neglected.

• Countering enduring Russian disinformation and propaganda campaigns should be one of the key priorities for Ukraine. It is necessary to continue strengthening the resilience of Ukrainians both in facing these threats and in defending the democratic values pursued by the country.Most notably in the vulnerable regions near the front-line and near the occupied areas,the focus should lie on addressing key vulnerabilities, such as language issues, culture, religion, and history.

• Ukraine should not be facing these challenges alone; its allies should continue to demonstrate their support for the country and its fight against disinformation campaigns. The recent creation of the Centre for Countering Disinformation offers a great opportunity for international cooperation on collecting and analysing information about hybrid threats posed to Ukraine and countering them to ensure the security of the country.

This newsletter includes outputs from the project of the European Values Center for Security Policy focused on training non-governmental sector representatives, including investigators and bloggers from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland. More information can be found on our website.