The Daily - Why Russia Is Exporting So Much Vaccine

Episode Date: April 26, 2021

In recent years, Russia has tried to reassert its global influence in many ways, from military action in Ukraine to meddling in U.S. elections.So when Russia developed a coronavirus vaccine, it prioritized exporting it to dozens of other countries — at the expense of its own people.Today, we look at how Russia has put vaccine diplomacy to work. Guest: Andrew E. Kramer, a reporter based in the Moscow bureau of The New York Times. Sign up here to get The Daily in your inbox each morning. And for an exclusive look at how the biggest stories on our show come together, subscribe to our newsletter. Background reading: The Kremlin has scored propaganda points and bolstered several longstanding foreign policy goals by offering its Sputnik V vaccine around the world. But production capacity is limited.A microstate surrounded by Italy, San Marino feared being left behind in Europe’s inoculation campaign. Now it has jumped ahead, with the Sputnik vaccine.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

From The New York Times, I'm Michael Barbaro. This is The Daily. Today. When Russia developed a vaccine against COVID-19, it prioritized exporting it to dozens of foreign countries at the expense of its own people. Sabrina Tavernisi spoke with our colleague Andrew Kramer about how Russia is attempting to use its vaccine

to improve its strength and standing on the world stage. It's Monday, April 26th. Andrew. Sabrina, hello. Hi. So, why are we talking about Russia and vaccines? Well, this came as a surprise to, I think, a lot of people in 2020 when the pandemic began. The Russian government is saying it's on track to approve a coronavirus vaccine in August,

well ahead of other countries, including the U.S., the U.K. Russia very quickly announced that it was developing a vaccine against the coronavirus. The sheer speed at which Russian scientists have been able to develop this vaccine has raised a lot of eyebrows across the world. There was skepticism. There was certainly the feeling that that's not likely to be much of a success given the disorganized state of Russian science. But by the middle of the year, they had already announced a working vaccine. Russia's Sputnik vaccine is 91.4 percent effective, according to the manufacturer. It's got emergency clearance in 15 nations.

If you look at the history, though, it's less of a surprise. Tell me about the history. What do you mean? Well, the story really starts in the aftermath of World War I, when the Soviet Union encountered quite a lot of infectious disease throughout its territory. One of the main focuses was confronting the Lubonic Plague. It seems like a ghost from the Middle Ages, but this was actually a serious problem in the Soviet Union in the 1920s. And the country set up what were called sanitary epidemiological stations, the equivalent of the CDC in the United States. They were field stations to detect and

contain infectious diseases. There was a lot of resources put into this. And by the 1930s, a Soviet effort to control infectious diseases had really focused on vaccines. And by the end of this decade, the Soviet Union was a global leader in virology and vaccine development. But it was not alone. The U.S. had also been through the Spanish flu and had been forced to develop expertise in vaccines and was making strides in this science so that both the Soviet Union and the United States were very proficient in vaccine development. So these two countries were the global leaders in vaccines. That's right. Particularly coming out of World War II,

the Soviet Union and the United States were the global leaders in vaccine science. And the real concern in the late 1940s was polio. This year, the enemy, poliomyelitis, struck with such impact and fury that it shook the entire nation. Dr. Paul C. Polio was the most frightening disease around. It has closed the gates on normal childhood. It has swept our beaches, stilled our boats, and emptied our parks. Dr. Paul C. It was the number one killer of children, and it had spread rapidly

after the chaos of World War II. There has been no escape, no immunity, for this is epidemic. There were devastating polio outbreaks in the United States as well as in the Soviet Union. By the mid 1950s, the Soviet Union was reporting about 22,000 polio cases a year, which was about one third of the level of polio in the United States, but was still a tremendous problem and something that was very frightening to parents because it was an incurable disease and very often resulted in paralysis and sometimes in death. So by the 1950s, both the Soviet Union and the United States were experiencing really serious polio outbreaks.

So what was the relationship between the two countries at the time? Well, it was complicated. Looking at Russia, we might see it as a country to be studied. Yet we know that Russia today is regarded as a grave threat to our nation. This was the beginning of the Cold War. The two countries were at odds really everywhere you looked. Berlin, powder keg of Europe, saw a mass demonstration of indoctrinated young Germans on May Day. And across the world in Japan, America's stronghold in the Pacific, the busy Kame's were at it again. There was military competition in Eastern Europe and in Southeast Asia. The space race was just getting started at this time in the 1950s.

On every continent and in every land, the story of Sputnik 1 dominated the front pages. The Soviets had scored a scientific first. It is a challenge that President Eisenhower has said America must meet to survive in the space age. And there really wasn't a whole lot of cooperation at all at this point. So the Soviet Union and the United States are really at odds. We're at the beginning of the Cold War. Meanwhile, polio is spreading really fast in both countries. So how do these two governments respond? So the first vaccination efforts were carried out in the United States.

There was an attempt to use killed, inactivated polio. Unfortunately, there was a bad batch of this polio vaccine, which infected hundreds of children in the United States and killed some of them and created a lot of vaccine skepticism and also a realization that this approach to polio vaccine may not be the best and there might be a better way using a more modern technology, which was a weakened virus. But the problem was that this would require giving a live polio virus to children. And there was nobody really in the United States who wanted to run this experiment. And that's because there had been this botched experiment in which children actually died. That's right. And it was even more frightening to give your child a live polio virus

as opposed to something that had been inactivated or supposedly inactivated. So while the technology was developed in the United States, there just was no way to test this in the United States. What about the Soviet Union? What is it doing? Well, in the late 1950s, a Soviet delegation traveled to the United States, led by a husband and wife team of virologists, Mikhail Chumakov and Maria Varyshilova. And they visited with American scientists and asked for a sample of this new polio vaccine

to bring back to the Soviet Union. Now, the American scientists sought permission. They approached the State Department and the FBI, which provided approval for exporting, essentially, a brand new medical invention to the Soviet Union. According to a study of this exchange, the Defense Department raised objections that the Soviets might use it to develop a germ warfare program. But ultimately, the decision was made that this could be provided to the scientists.

There could be scientific cooperation between the two countries. And the live polio vaccine sample was carried to the Soviet Union by one account in the pocket of Mikhail Chumakov. In the pocket? That's right. It was more casual, perhaps, than it would be done today. This was a potentially risky live virus. The Soviet scientists brought it to his laboratory for infectious disease, tested it, determined that it would probably be safe and effective. But then there was the next step that had to be taken.

This had to be tested on children. So what does Chumakov do? So in Soviet medicine, there was a tradition that the inventor of a new technique or a new medicine should try this on himself first. So he discusses this with his wife, who's also a virologist, and they decide that they will provide the live polio vaccine to their own young children on sugar cubes. Wow, that's incredible. Their own children? That's right. And this experiment was carried out in a Moscow apartment in the late 1950s.

They had their own children line up and provided them with the sugar cubes with a drop of live polio virus on them, and then watched to see what would happen. And what did happen? Well, thankfully, nothing. It was the safe vaccine. They did not develop polio. What they did develop was immunity to polio. Because the virus was weakened and this was an effective vaccine,

they took their findings based on this experiment on their own children to senior officials in the Soviet government. And as a next step, they tested the vaccine on orphans in the Baltic states in Estonia and Latvia and Lithuania. There was a large polio outbreak in this area, and this was going to be the solution to the problem. And it was a gamble that paid off. By 1959, they had begun mass vaccinations. And in 1960, they vaccinated every person in the Soviet Union between the ages of two months and 20 years old. At the time, it was the fastest mass vaccination ever carried out, and they eliminated polio. Wow. And what about the U.S.? Does it start using the new polio vaccine too?

So the United States authorities agreed to approve this vaccine in the United States in 1962. The medical officer of health set the target. 300,000 men, women, and children to be vaccinated in one week. And there's no sore arm to worry about. And begin vaccination with a live polio virus in 1963. Like the sugar treatment, two drops of vaccine make the dose with syrup. This was a collaboration which stood out in the Cold War. Dr. Sabin recently returned from travels in Europe, where his journeys took him to Soviet Russia. The countries were in competition, and yet...

I would say that the work on live poliovirus vaccine and my associations with colleagues all over the world shows the capabilities and the possibilities of international cooperation on a large scale. Somehow the scientists were cooperating in solving the most feared infectious diseases of the time. So Andrew, this is all really surprising to me. It's an example of something that's actually hopeful, a real collaboration at a time when the Soviet Union is considered a superpower in the world.

Of course, we know, decades later, that the Soviet Union is considered a superpower in the world. Of course, we know, decades later, that the Soviet Union falls apart. That's right. It was a very difficult time for Russians. Incomes plummeted, the store shelves were bare, and it was also a very difficult time for Russian scientists. What were once very prestigious jobs ended up paying just copex or pennies, and some scientists resorted to driving taxis, for example, to make a living. Also abroad, Russia's international standing collapsed. The country was seen as a basket

case. It was no longer one of the centers of power in the world. It was a recipient of international aid. And nonetheless, Russian scientists had a chip on their shoulder. They felt that they could achieve great things if they had resources. And Russia continued to be strong in science, and virology was one of those areas. That's interesting. So these Soviet scientists and then later Russian scientists, they're still developing vaccines? They keep going? They do.

And they come out with announcements that nobody much believes, that they've made progress on AIDS, for example. But then more recently, they developed a vaccine against MERS, which is very similar to the COVID-19. So when the coronavirus arrives, they're ready to prove themselves to the world. to the world. We'll be right back. So Andrew, it's 2020 and the coronavirus hits. Set the stage for us between the U.S. and Russia leading up to that. The relationship has gone dismally. Russia has tried in various ways to regain influence in the world. And this has led to conflict with the United States. The relationship really worsened in 2014 when Russia intervened militarily in Ukraine. In 2016, Russia interfered in the U.S.

elections in the United States. And there's also been crackdowns at home against dissidents, in particular against the movement of Alexei Navalny. The United States has responded to these moves by Russia with sanctions, and the relationship is bad now. It's really at the worst level that it's been since the Cold War. worst level that it's been since the Cold War. So it seems pretty safe to assume that despite Russia's history with vaccines, cooperation between the U.S. and Russia is probably pretty much out of the question, right? Right. There's no question of collaboration now. The Russians began a rush to develop a COVID vaccine, as does the Western world and China. And the Russians fall back on these research institutes that have existed in their country for decades

and begin developing domestic COVID vaccine. And what does that actually look like on the ground in Russia? Well, there were a number of scientific institutes that all had vaccine ideas. And by May, an institute in Moscow seemed to be in the lead. And we learned about this because the scientist who was developing the vaccine went on television to make the surprise announcement that he had injected himself with a test vaccine

before animal trials had been completed. Oh, my goodness. This was, of course, a hearkening back to the Russian scientific tradition of inventors trying their medicine on themselves first. But it was the first of several bold announcements by the Russians in the development of the vaccine that they eventually named Sputnik V. Sputnik, like the satellite. That's right. The idea of the name was that this was a surprise to the Western world. The Sputnik satellite really indicated Russia's supremacy in science in the 1950s.

And it was way ahead of the United States in the space race. The Russians said quite explicitly that they viewed the vaccine in the same terms, that just as the Western world had heard the beeps of the radio of the Sputnik satellite circling the Earth and that these beeps had indicated Russia was in the lead, they felt that their vaccine would be named Sputnik to indicate that it was, in fact, ahead of other vaccines. So it was a very intentional naming, a kind of glory days reference. ahead of other vaccines. So it was a very intentional naming, a kind of Glory Days reference. Exactly. And a naming that also indicated they see this as a race, as the space race. And then they took it a step further. In August, Putin went on television and announced that he had approved the vaccine for general use. I do remember Putin coming out and saying they had this vaccine. But I also remember thinking, it's really early because no one else did yet.

Is this real? It wasn't really real. They had not tested the vaccine in late stage trials that were necessary to prove that it's effective and safe. This was a propaganda move, and they were going to use the vaccine as a tool of influence in the world, and they began marketing it as a vaccine for all humankind. All right, so we're getting new information, new data on Russia's vaccine. They did eventually put the vaccine through trials, and when the results were in in December, they were very good. It seems to contradict the skepticism that surrounded the heralding of the jab by President Vladimir Putin back in August. The vaccine was more than 90% effective, which is comparable to the vaccines under development in the United States. It is one of only three vaccines with efficacy of more than 90%.

Sputnik V is the vaccine for the mankind. Crucially, at about this same time, the Trump administration puts a ban on exports of U.S.-made vaccines, saying that the vaccines made in America should be used first to vaccinate American citizens. And this leaves Russia standing ready with a very effective vaccine. Russia is throwing its hat in the ring to be a global savior. Ready to make deals around the world at a time when the U.S. is not exporting any vaccine. Russia, for one, says it's ready to send the EU 100 million doses of its Sputnik vaccine. The Russians don't waste any time.

Sputnik V's global uptake is on the rise. They immediately start making export arrangements. Countries right now lining up for supplies of Sputnik V. Specifically intended to undermine U.S. interests and European Union interests. specifically intended to undermine U.S. interests and European Union interests. And it really is setting itself up as this vaccine supplier to the bad boys club. What does that mean, the bad boys club? Who is that? Well, these are countries that are at odds with the West and which Russia has sidled up to perhaps for that reason. It markets the vaccine to Cuba, to Iran, to Syria,

to parts of North Africa. Russia has friendly relations with Venezuela, with Belarus. So there are a collection of countries loosely aligned with Russia. And these are relationships which Russia would like to deepen and strengthen. There are other factors at play here as well. Russia is using the vaccine to win influence in battleground countries, countries that are wavering between Russia and the West, such as Ukraine or Hungary, for example. There's a very strong PR element to vaccine diplomacy. It really flips the narrative about Russia. It's no longer a discussion of suppressing dissidents at home or amassing military forces on a border with a neighbor, for example. This is a discussion about saving lives, providing medicine that's in great demand today. What's an example, Andrew, of how one of these deals works on the ground? One of the first countries that the Russians talked to was Brazil.

Brazil is an important ally of the United States. It's a major economic power in Latin America. And it was also an early target of Russian vaccine diplomacy. The U.S., we learned in January from documents released by the U.S. government, was working behind the scenes to prevent this from happening. And the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services disclosed that an American diplomat in Brazil had been arguing that the Brazilian government should reject the Russian vaccine because the vaccine was in fact seen as an agent of influence for the Russians in this important country. Now, that was not a success. Brazil ultimately went with Russia for these supplies, and it illustrates well the weak hand that the United States has in vaccine

diplomacy. On the ground in situations like this, the United States has nothing to offer. The U.S. official could argue that Brazil should not take this life-saving medicine from Russia, but they weren't able to offer anything from the United States. Right. I mean, the U.S. sounds like it doesn't really have a card to play, right? I mean, on what basis should Brazil not accept the Russian vaccine? There's effectively no alternative. to success in its vaccine diplomacy. For example, the European Union has been the target of a very effective vaccine diplomacy over the past several months. Two countries, Slovakia and Hungary, agreed to import Sputnik V vaccine, and this created a lot of discord within the European Union because the bloc had initially agreed to distribute vaccines equitably among its members,

and they were breaking ranks with that policy. Also, the vaccine was not approved by European regulators. So this was creating discord within the European Union. And creating discord within the European Union has been a longtime goal of Russian diplomacy. And in this case, it was aided with the use of the vaccine. But it's gone beyond that as well. The Russians have signed contracts with one region in Italy and with the state of Bavaria in Germany. So they're winning customers now in the very heart of Europe. Yeah, these are core block states of the EU.

That's right. And in countries that have been accepting the Russian vaccine, polls show that people trust it more than even vaccines made in the United States. For example, in Argentina and Mexico, polls have shown that more people trust the Russian-made Sputnik V vaccine than American-made vaccines. That's surprising. It is, and it's been quite a benefit to Russia's image around the world. Wherever we look in Russia's vaccine diplomacy, it's been quite effective politically

and in terms of PR at the cost of, in fact, very small shipments of vaccine. What do you mean? For example, only tens of thousands of doses were sent to Bolivia in Latin America. Bolivian President Luis Arce has signed a contract for the supply of the Sputnik V vaccine to fight COVID-19. And yet the president of the country came to the airport to meet the airplane that delivered them. Today, the Bolivian people can breathe in peace.

Sometimes very small numbers of doses are sent to places that will seem to have a high impact in terms of media coverage. While the rest of Europe is still struggling with the vaccination campaign, the tiny Republic of San Marino is on its way to immunize most of its citizens. For example, in a stunt, Russia vaccinated the entire nation of San Marino with a population of 7,000 people.

Thanks also to the use of Sputnik V, Russia's vaccine. So the numbers have been quite small, but they've had a very large impact politically. all, but they've had a very large impact politically. So, Andrew, in a way, this is making me think of how Russia has been acting ever since the Soviet Union collapsed. I mean, trying again and again on the world stage to prove it is still powerful, to prove it is still important. And these vaccines are a way to show that. It also shows it in a different way than what we usually think of Russia, when we think of Russia asserting its influence. Typically, Russia is seen as a villain when it sends troops into a neighboring country like Ukraine or assassins abroad to target enemies. But in the story of vaccines, Russia has really been a savior. It's been able to present itself as a country that's helping the rest of the world.

And in this way, it's a form of influence which is very difficult for the West to counter, for the West to stand up against. And when the pandemic is over, it's likely that Russia will emerge because of this vaccine diplomacy as a country with more friends and allies than it would have had had it not pursued this course. Thank you, Andrew. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. So far, Russia has manufactured about 20 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine. Of those, it has exported about 4 million doses, or one-fifth, to foreign countries, instead of using them on Russians. As of this past weekend,

Russia has fully vaccinated just 5% of its people. By comparison, the United States has fully vaccinated 27%. We'll be right back. Here's what else you need to know today. Over the weekend, President Biden recognized the mass killings of Armenians more than a century ago as a genocide. Something never before done by an American president for fear of offending Turkey, which denies that the killings amounted to a genocide. The killings of Armenians occurred at the end of World War I,

during the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, which later became Turkey. Ottoman Turks feared that Armenians would become allies with Russia, an enemy of the Ottoman Turks, and began forced deportations and killings of Armenians to avoid that possibility. In the end, as many as 1.5 million Armenians were killed. In response to Biden's declaration, In response to Biden's declaration, Turkey's government vowed to defend itself against what it called a lie. Today's episode was produced by Rochelle Banja, Rachel Quester, Alexandra Lee Young, and Leslie Davis.

It was edited by MJ Davis-Lynn and Lisa Chow and engineered by Chris Wood. Special thanks to Sophia Kishkovsky. That's it for The Daily. I'm Michael Bavaro. See you tomorrow.