No, Vladimir Putin Has Not Ordered the Destruction of COVID-19 Vaccines

There is no evidence to support the claim that Russian Prez Putin has ordered the destruction of COVID-19 vaccines.

Fact-Check | There is no evidence to support the claim stating that the Russian President has ordered the destruction of COVID-19 vaccines.

(Photo: Wikimedia Commons/Altered by The Quint)

The screenshot of an article which mentions that Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the destruction of all COVID-19 vaccines in the country is going viral. Several users had also added the link to the article in the caption.

An archive of the post can be seen here.

(Source: Twitter/Screenshot)

(Archives of similar claims can be found here, here, and here.)

Are these claims true?: No, there is no evidence to prove that Putin issues such an order. Furthermore, the article going viral was published on 4 March on a website called 'Real Raw News'. The website's "about us" section mentions that it contains humour, parody, and satirical content.

The website carries a disclaimer in the"about us" section.

(Source: Real Raw News/Screenshot)

Ironically...: On 4 March, TASS - a Russian news agency - published a report which mentioned a press release from the Ministry of Health.

• It said that batches of Sputnik V vaccines had been sent to Moscow and other regions. However, the other regions were not specified.

• The press release also said that the vaccine protects against COVID-19. It mentioned, "Vaccination and timely revaccination are especially relevant for people over 60 and people with chronic diseases such as cardiovascular, diabetes and others."

The report was published on 4 March, the same day as the viral article.

(Source: TASS/Screenshot)

No such order is available in the public domain: We checked the official website of the Kremlin but did not come across any such order that directed the destruction of COVID-19 vaccines.

• Further, no credible news reports were available which talked about such an order from the Russian President.

Conclusion: A fabricated article from a website which publishes "satire, parody, and humour" content is being shared to claim that the Russian President has ordered the destruction of all COVID-19 vaccines in the country.

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