The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF, Russia’s sovereign wealth fund) expresses gratitude to the Government of Mexico, its Customs and Armed Forces for seizure of a batch of fake Russian Sputnik V vaccine against coronavirus.
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"The General Administration of Customs, in coordination with the Mexican Army, seized Russian SPUTNIK V vaccines at the Campeche International Airport, which were intended to be transferred in a private aircraft to Honduras, for which an investigation was opened to determine the origin of the doses against SARS-CoV2," the Government of Mexico states.
"Customs personnel implemented the review protocol for a private aircraft that was in national territory and that was destined for the San Pedro Sula International Airport, Honduras, and with the support of elements of the Mexican Army, they detected inside two ice chests with a thousand 155 vials with the equivalent of 5,775 doses of the Russian vaccine against COVID-19, hidden between soft drinks and sweets.
"The Customs personnel proceeded to the precautionary embargo of the vials with the Russian vaccine that will be kept while preserving the cold chain; The aircraft was left as a guarantee of the fiscal interest and the crew and passengers of Honduran nationality were placed at the disposal of the Attorney General's Office," says the Government.
"Analysis of the photographs of the seized batch, including the design of containers and labels, suggests that it is a fake substance which has nothing to do with the original vaccine. The shipment’s procedure was also in violation of packaging and transportation protocols for the official Sputnik V vaccine," Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) says.
"RDIF states that every manufactured batch of Sputnik V vaccine is undergoing strict controls. Each vial has a unique QR-code, allowing RDIF and partners to trace it to the place of origin. Sputnik V is transported only by authorized carriers required to abide by the highest safety standards, including remote temperature and security controls.
"RDIF and Russian government entities will continue to cooperate with governments and partners around the world to jointly identify fake Sputnik V vaccines and ensure security of the Russian vaccine and its global supply chain.
"This is an example of possible provocations against Sputnik V just as Russian officials warned last week. Mexican government stopped and prevented this provocation possibly aimed at discrediting Sputnik V vaccine through shipment of fake vaccine. RDIF, Russian Ministry of Health and government entities will cooperate with Mexican authorities on this investigation and analysis of the content of the fake vaccine.
"Vaccine safety and authenticity are paramount to RDIF and the Gamaleya Center. Sputnik V is distributed only through official channels and administered only through official government vaccination programs," said RDIF. ■