US says Russian-backed stores spread ‘misinformation’ about COVID-19 vaccine

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States has identified three online publications run by Russian intelligence services that say they are trying to undermine the COVID-19 vaccines produced by Pfizer and Moderna, a State Department spokesman said on Sunday.

ARCHIVE PHOTO: A health professional prepares a syringe with a dose of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination center in Calais as part of the vaccination campaign against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in France, March 4, 2021. REUTERS / Pascal Rossignol

The media “spread many types of misinformation, including about the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, as well as international organizations, military conflicts, protests and any controversial issues they can explore,” said the spokeswoman.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) first reported the identification of the alleged campaign on Sunday. A Kremlin spokesman denied the US claim that Russia was spreading false vaccine information to the WSJ.

The Russian embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Russia approved its Sputnik V vaccine in August, before the start of a large-scale test, saying it was the first country to do it for an injection of COVID-19. Peer-reviewed trials months later proved it was almost 92% effective in fighting the virus.

New York-based Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech produced the first vaccine authorized in the United States, which was approved by regulators in December. The second, from Moderna, based in Massachusetts, was authorized later that month.

The State Department’s Global Engagement Center, created to contain propaganda and misinformation campaigns, identified the three vehicles, the spokeswoman said.

The News Front is controlled by Russia’s federal security service, the center found. New Eastern Outlook and Oriental Review are directed and controlled by the Russian foreign intelligence service.

A fourth exit, Rebel Inside, controlled by the Russian army, has also been nominated by the center, but is largely dormant, the spokeswoman said.

“The Department will continue to expose Russia’s harmful activities online,” she added. “We will also continue to work closely with our allies and partners to provide a global response to combat disinformation.”

Simon Lewis reporting; Edited by Heather Timmons and Lincoln Feast.

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