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Comment by zoomablemind | Hacker News Reader

Why so much effort to sell that to the world? You've got a huge country with still very sizable population to protect against still very much active virus (plus the mutated versions).

It works well without the Phase III? So be it. Isn't it about the very people of Russia?

Now, they tell quantitatively that it has been just as good all along (wait, it's cheap too!). Well, even better - protect your people, maybe even start with the government. Russia is big!

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Russian state has always been outward-looking and disrespectful of own population, and Putin is known to enjoy geopolitical games. Selling vaccine is a way to wield power.

Unfortunately, Sputnik V is associated with Putin-the-Underpants-poisoner, 2014 Sochi Olympics, Civil war in Syria, Civil war in Ukraine, invasion of Crimea... and that association is not good.

I doubt a lot of people would even get the vaccine, if it would be offered in my country. There is a deep mistrust towards the Russian government. And I think this goes for Russians themselves as well. Which is a shame because Russian science is quite good, despite their own government.

You’re driven by prejudices and propaganda. Russia vaccinates own population in mass now. I got my first shot two weeks ago and on Monday gonna get a second, for free.

> You’re driven by prejudices and propaganda. Russia vaccinates own population in mass now.

Unfortunately what the world witnesses so far about Russian 'pharma' is the continuous streak of poisonings and denials. No wonder lots of people have doubts.

As for anything visible happening currently 'en masse' is the protestor arrests. Holding cells overflowing to the extent that people are being ferried to distant police stations, in some cases over 100km away. No way this is helping to contain the virus spread.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/russia-naval...

Good health to you!

This is exactly it. Main reason there are no queues to get vaccinated in Russia is public distrust.

Distrust is not because of what the authorities are proposing, but because people are generally distrustful of vaccines.

They’re selling not vaccine, but license and one of the main components.

Russian medical factories were pretty much wiped out after USSR collapse and foreign corporations took the market.

Only in recent decade domestic product started to see the light of day, but still not enough production power.

So for now, Russian factories produce Sputnik shots just for Russia, but we’re selling license and ‘precursor’, so buyer can produce shots itself.

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