"Politicization of the humanitarian issue": how the discussion around the Russian vaccine against COVID-19 is developing in Ukraine

Ukraine will be obliged to purchase the Russian vaccine against coronavirus if its effectiveness is proven.

This was stated by the People's Deputy from the Servant of the People faction Alexander Kachura on the air of the Newsone TV channel.

“I’ll probably say now what a part of the“ Servant of the peoples ”faction can throw stones at me for.

But I believe that the main priority for the state and, in general, for every official, should be, first of all, the health and life of citizens ... Therefore, I would like us to stop any double standards here ... And therefore, we need to weigh everything here.

And if indeed this (Russian. -

) vaccine proves to be effective, we have no right not to seize the opportunity to save even one human life in our country.

And I'm not talking about thousands (lives. -

), about what may be happening, "the Ukrainian deputy noted.

At the same time, earlier, on October 7, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky on his Facebook page criticized "individual cynics who have already been vaccinated with unverified means."

According to the Ukrainian leader, the European Union will help Kiev to get a "real" vaccine.

"A question of a humanitarian nature"

Recall that during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Viktor Medvedchuk said that he had been vaccinated with the Russian vaccine against COVID-19.

“I want to say, Vladimir Vladimirovich, that I have tested this vaccine on myself.

While vacationing in Crimea in August, I, my wife Oksana, and our son Bogdan were vaccinated, ”the Kremlin press service quotes Medvedchuk.

According to the politician, he and his family members "very easily tolerated" the vaccination.

Medvedchuk also stressed that the drug of the Russian Federation is "the most effective remedy today in the fight against coronavirus."

Vladimir Putin, in turn, said that the Russian side could supply its vaccine against COVID-19 to Ukraine, but this requires a corresponding request from the republic's authorities.

“As for the vaccine you mentioned, yes, of course.

I will repeat why not.

If we started this work with Belarus, we can also work with Ukraine.

We must work with specialists from Ukraine to implement this plan.

It is necessary that the official authorities of Ukraine formulate their requests, their needs in an appropriate manner, ”the Russian president said.

As Vladimir Putin specified, the Russian Federation is ready for this work, "despite any political difficulties."

“Still, this is a purely humanitarian issue, a health issue, a matter of caring for people who are not indifferent to us, both in Russia and in Ukraine.

We are ready for this work.

But, I repeat again, we need to come to an official agreement with the relevant authorities, ”he said.

• Vladimir Putin's meeting with Viktor Medvedchuk

• kremlin.ru

This is how the Russian leader answered Medvedchuk's question about the possibility of the Russian vaccine "getting" to Ukraine to protect its citizens from COVID-19.

Russian "Sputnik"

It should be noted that Russia was the first in the world to register a vaccine against coronavirus infection Gam-COVID-Vac ("Sputnik V"), developed by the Gamaleya National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation.

In the summer, the drug has already passed clinical trials, and a post-registration clinical trial of the vaccine is currently underway, in which 40 thousand volunteers are planned to participate.

As stated by the Russian Minister of Health Mikhail Murashko, the vaccine can go into civilian circulation as early as October-November of this year.

Earlier, he called "good" and "encouraging" the first results of post-registration tests of the Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine.

In September, the World Health Organization (WHO) expressed gratitude to Russia for developing a "safe and effective vaccine" Sputnik V.

This was stated by the Director of the WHO Regional Office for Europe Hans Kluge following a meeting with the Minister of Health of the Russian Federation.

At the same time, as Vladimir Putin said, another Russian vaccine against the coronavirus of the Novosibirsk center "Vector" "EpiVacCorona" can be registered as early as mid-October.

According to him, "the work on it is practically finished."

"No money, no specialists"

According to Johns Hopkins University, to date, 263,105 infected have been identified in the country, at least 5 thousand people with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 have died.

As noted by a RT source at the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, "the country was not ready for a pandemic."

“The number of hospitalized people is growing every day, and in many cities, doctors offer patients to independently negotiate with the hospital for hospitalization.

There are not enough beds, oxygen is becoming deficient.

And this is not even a peak.

Therefore, the only way to improve the situation is to agree with Russia on the purchase of vaccines.

Ukraine cannot afford to impose strict quarantine, ”said the interlocutor of RT.

The RT source in the Batkivshchyna party believes, in turn, that Ukraine is "unable to develop a vaccine."

“We have neither money nor specialists for this.

The Ukrainian medical system is close to collapse.

Therefore, we need to stop politicizing the topic of purchasing Russian vaccines.

This issue has been discussed in political circles for a long time, but no one dares to raise it, ”the deputy said.

• The building of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine

• Reuters

• © Valentyn Ogirenko

The interlocutor of RT in the Servant of the People party even said that "there is a rush in Ukraine now - politicians are interested in where you can unofficially buy the Russian vaccine."

“There is no hope for state hospitals, and there is no way to get to private hospitals.

But in the past few months, the Ukrainian media have been constantly writing about how poor-quality the vaccine is.

Many experts say every day that you cannot buy a vaccine just because it was created in Russia.

This attitude is striking: it is better to let the Ukrainians die, but the main thing is not to acquire anything Russian.

And who is worse? ”, - the deputy says.

"It would be beneficial in all respects"

According to Vladimir Olenchenko, senior researcher at the Center for European Studies at the IMEMO RAS, the Ukrainian deputy, declaring the need to purchase a Russian vaccine, "shows that he is an independent and sane politician who is able to objectively assess the situation."

"He is probably a person with developed willpower, since he is aware that his position can be harshly criticized by his party colleagues," the expert said in a conversation with RT.

According to him, for Ukraine “it makes sense to purchase the drug“ Sputnik V ”.

“It would be beneficial in all respects - Kiev could now save its citizens from COVID-19 and do it at an affordable price, without overpaying for vaccines from other countries,” Olenchenko said.

He stressed that Zelensky "politicizes a purely humanitarian, medical issue, given that the incidence of coronavirus in Ukraine is breaking anti-records."

“He does this because he is not an independent politician and follows some obligations to third countries that are not publicly advertised.

Perhaps he is guided by statements by the US authorities or tacit agreements with the American side.

The Ukrainian president probably believes that it is more important to fulfill ideological guidelines than to objectively assess the situation, including the epidemiological one, ”the expert emphasized.

He added that in this way Zelensky "can indirectly support American vaccines."

“That is, he rejects the Russian vaccine for commercial reasons.

After all, the purchase of a Russian drug would not meet the market interests of American companies that are also developing their own.

The US authorities want to stake out a place for themselves in the global pharmaceutical market in advance, ”the analyst states.

• RIA News

As the leading researcher of RISS Oleg Nemensky emphasized in a conversation with RT, "the modern Ukrainian state is ideological, not legal."

“It is pursuing a policy of dissociating itself from any ties with Russia and from everything Russian.

In this regard, buying a vaccine from the Russian Federation is a moral crime for the Kiev authorities, ”the analyst noted.  

Nemensky believes that Ukraine "will not buy the Russian vaccine against coronavirus in modern realities."

“After all, if the government seriously raises such a question, then very tough protests will be organized, which will indicate the inadmissibility of purchasing the Sputnik V drug,” the expert concluded.