Putin likes to maintain his image as a man who is proud of his athletic body and strength, says Deutsche Welle. Then why did he refuse to be vaccinated in front of the TV cameras? And why was he injected with Sputnik V only now?
Why didn’t Russian President Vladimir Putin show his biceps in front of the cameras this time? Many wondered this after the news came that the Kremlin boss had been vaccinated with Sputnik V yesterday. His spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said only that Putin did not want to be given an injection in front of the cameras. A in Russia, people have long wondered that Putin has only just reached the vaccine, after it came into use in Russia last year, and in December a mass vaccination campaign began in the country.
The president first said that the reason for the postponement was his age, and then – that he did not want to disrupt the vaccination schedule. It is known that the Russian vaccine “Sputnik V”, named after the first satellite in orbit, came on the market last year, despite suspicions that it has not yet passed all the necessary tests.
“The best vaccine in the world”
Putin himself declared it “the best in the world” and later announced that it was already certified in 55 countries. A procedure for its possible certification is pending in the EU. In February, the authoritative publication “The Lancet” wrote that the efficiency of “Sputnik V” reaches 91.6%, and in Russia there are two more vaccines against coronavirus.
Vaccination in Russia is going well so far. The president said at least 6 million Russians had already received at least the first dose. Russian health authorities hope to immunize 68 million people by the summer – about 60% of the country’s population. But will this optimistic prediction come true? A poll by the Levada Center shows that as many as 62% of Russians do not want to be vaccinated with “Sputnik V “, as the number of antivaxers has been steadily rising in recent months.
Sociologist Denis Volkov explains: “Many people do not believe that covid-19 is a serious disease. It is they who refuse to be vaccinated.” The deputy director of the Levada Center also explains that 56% of Russians are not afraid of kovid-19, and nearly a third believe that the virus was created artificially, as a new type of biological weapon.
Volkov also linked the Russians’ vaccination skepticism to the fact that President Vladimir Putin had so far not set a personal example with his own vaccination: “Two-thirds of people approve of his actions – it matters to them whether the president has been vaccinated or not.” The sociologist believes that famous public figures should be vaccinated in front of the camera to encourage Russians in this regard.
“I think Putin himself is skeptical of vaccination.”
Independent political analyst Konstantin Kalachev said Putin’s refusal to be vaccinated in front of the cameras would raise new doubts: “Especially because it is known that he is proud of his body, that he maintains the image of a macho and a man.”
Kalachev has his own explanation for the president’s long hesitation: “I think Putin himself is skeptical about vaccination. He is one of us, he is a mirror image! Most Russians do not want to be vaccinated and are afraid of side effects, but Putin wouldn’t be what he is if he didn’t look like the majority of Russians! “
At the same time, interest in the Russian vaccine is clearly growing in the West. In response to a request from the State Gazette, two European travel agencies confirmed that they were planning vaccination tourism to Russia: their clients would both receive a dose of Sputnik V and see a number of sights. Pietro di Febo of an Italian travel agency even claims that the demand for vaccination trips to Russia is big even before the idea even started. The waiting list has already included 250 people, although so far the Russian Ministry of Health has not planned to vaccinate foreign tourists.
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