- Russian President Vladimir Putin received a vaccine behind closed doors on Tuesday, officials said.
- It was one of three Russian-made vaccines, according to the Kremlin, which was no longer specific.
- Putin, who generally loves photos, is at odds with world leaders who have been vaccinated in public.
- See more stories on the Insider business page.
Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly received a COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday, but did not reveal which.
“Putin has been vaccinated against the coronavirus,” Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s main spokesman, told CNN. “[He] feels good. Tomorrow he has a whole day at work. “
Peskov said earlier that vaccination would not be a public event because Putin “does not like” the idea of being filmed, according to CNN.
He declined to say which vaccine Putin had taken, but said it was one of three available in Russia: Sputnik V, EpiVacCorona and CoviVac.
“We are not deliberately saying what shot the president will take, noting that all three [-made] vaccines are absolutely reliable and effective, “said Peskov, according to Reuters.
Asked how anyone could know that Putin was actually vaccinated, Peskov replied, “You will have to take our word for it.”
Many noted that the decision to leave the cameras behind was outside the character of Putin, who is known for posed photo opportunities:
—Ian bremmer (@ianbremmer) March 24, 2021
It is also a change from other world leaders who have chosen to take their vaccines publicly to encourage confidence in vaccination.
President Joe Biden was publicly injected during his transition to the presidency. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave his injection in public last week.
Joe Biden, then president-elect, received his first dose of a coronavirus vaccine on December 21.
Carolyn Kaster / AP
Putin’s preference for private vaccination is shared by former President Donald Trump, who was vaccinated in January while still in office, but did not disclose that fact. The media first reported on March 1.
Sputnik V has been approved in Russia for more than 10 months, and Putin, 68, has been eligible for it since December, the New York Times reported.
Some questioned why Putin did not receive the vaccine until Tuesday, long after he told the media that one of his daughters had received it.
Sputnik V was found to be 91.6% effective against symptomatic COVID-19 in an analysis published in February. EpiVacCorona and CoviVac were approved in Russia in October and last month, respectively, but neither has completed the final stage tests, which confirm the safety and efficacy of the vaccine.
5.9 million Russians received a COVID-19 vaccine at home, according to Our World in Data, from a population of more than 145 million.
Peskov, the Kremlin representative, said that demand abroad for Sputnik V exceeded supply, so promotion was not necessary, the Times reported.
The shot is already approved in 56 countries, according to the Sputnik V representatives. But it is not authorized in the European Union, the United Kingdom or the United States.
Russia plans to vaccinate one in 10 people in the world with Sputnik V this year, Kate Duffy of Insider said on March 12.