US singles out Russia for misinformation about vaccines 0:46
(CNN) -
Online platforms run by Russian intelligence are spreading disinformation about two of the coronavirus vaccines used in the United States, a State Department spokesperson confirmed to CNN on Sunday.
The State Department's Global Engagement Center (GEC) identified three Russian media outlets - News Front, New Eastern Outlook, and Oriental Review - that are spreading not only misinformation about the virus, but also about "international organizations, military conflicts, protests;
and any divisive issue they can exploit, ”according to the spokesperson.
“All these sites vary in scope, tone and audience, but they are all spreading Russian propaganda and disinformation.
The State Department's finding of a link between these sites and Russian intelligence is the result of a joint interagency finding, "the spokesman said.
New variant infections on the rise in the US, experts warn
This is how mass vaccination centers work in the US 3:45
The GEC leads efforts "to recognize, understand, expose, and counter propaganda and misinformation efforts by foreign states and non-states aimed at undermining or influencing the policies, security, or stability of the United States, its allies, and partner countries." , according to their website.
The Wall Street Journal first reported on the misinformation.
advertising
The campaign comes as the United States and other countries rush to vaccinate people with three vaccines developed in record time by drug makers Pfizer / BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.
US officials have been working to increase confidence in the drugs in recent months, as studies showed a worrying level of vacillation hesitancy among some people, though that has diminished as implementation progressed.
A Kremlin spokesman denied to the Journal that the country's intelligence services were spearheading the disinformation campaign.
It's nonsense.
Russian special services have nothing to do with any criticism against vaccines, "spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the newspaper.
This is how close the US is to a new wave of coronavirus
What do vaccines for covid-19 contain?
An expert answers 6:19
Misinformation Against Western Vaccines
The Wall Street Journal reported that “Russian state media and Russian government Twitter accounts have made open efforts to raise concerns about the cost and safety of the Pfizer vaccine in what experts outside the US government say is an effort to promote the sale of the Russian vaccine, the rival Sputnik V. '
"The emphasis on denigrating Pfizer is likely due to its status as the first vaccine other than Sputnik V to see widespread use, resulting in a further potential threat to Sputnik's market dominance," says an upcoming Alliance report. for Securing Democracy, according to the newspaper.
One of the media outlets for the disinformation campaign, News Front, used international reports to exalt "the risk that a person receiving Pfizer or Moderna Inc. vaccines could contract Bell's palsy, in which the facial muscles are paralyzed. "According to the Journal, which noted that while vaccine recipients have reported a small number of side effects, the injections are overwhelmingly safe and effective.
Pamela Eisele, a Pfizer spokeswoman, told the newspaper that so far, "millions of people have been vaccinated with our vaccine after the backing of regulators in various countries."
A Moderna spokeswoman did not immediately respond to the Journal's request for comment.
- CNN's Paul LeBlanc contributed to this report.
sputnik VVaccine against coronavirus