Russia's vaccine is embraced abroad, shunned at home

But at home, Russia’s vaccination campaign has sputtered in the midst of one of the world’s highest levels of vaccine hesitancy. While the vaccine is free and widely available, only 3.5% of Russians have received at least one shot, compared with 17.1% in the U.S. and 32.1% in the U.K., according to Our World in Data, a project based at Oxford University that tracks the global vaccine rollout. Recent surveys show that less than a third of Russians are willing to get the Sputnik V vaccine.

Behind the skepticism are lingering doubts about Sputnik V’s rapid development and an ingrained distrust of authorities stemming from the country’s Soviet past. Polls, for instance, show that many Russians believe that the coronavirus is a man-made biological weapon. At the same time, surveys indicate a strong current of Covid-19 disbelief in Russia.

While coronavirus infections in Russia have been falling, the slow acceptance of the vaccine leaves the country vulnerable to a new surge. Russia has had more than four million infections, the fourth-highest in the world. Vaccine hesitancy risks undermining the government’s goal of inoculating around 60% of the population by summer.