Vaccine sceptic Russians buying fake Covid jab certificates

MOSCOW: Watching as Russia’s drive to vaccinate its citizens against coronavirus stumbled earlier this year, Sergei had a hunch that authorities would eventually make inoculations mandatory.

But the 30-something in the southern Krasnodar region had no plans of getting a jab. So he found a dealer online hawking fake vaccine certificates, sent his personal details over encrypted messenger Telegram and transferred 15,000 rubles ($200, 175 euros).

Three weeks later, Sergei logged onto Russia’s government services portal to find a certificate showing he had received both doses of the country’s homegrown Sputnik V vaccine—without ever having been jabbed. Russia last August stoked concerns over Sputnik V by registering the vaccine ahead of large-scale clinical trials, but international experts have since declared it safe and effective.

Many Russians are nonetheless wary, with some 60 per cent saying they do not plan to be inoculated, according to independent polling.

Sergei said he believes the jab has side effects, and fears the vaccine is “experimental”.

“I don’t want to die because of what the government wants,” Sergei said in an exchange on Telegram, showing AFP a redacted screenshot of his personal government portal showing his vaccine certificate.