| President Vladimir Putin sparked worldwide skepticism in August when he announced that Russia had cleared the world's first Covid-19 vaccine for use—even before it had completed safety trials.
Now countries are lining up for supplies of Sputnik V after peer-reviewed results published in The Lancet medical journal last week showed the Russian vaccine has a 91.6% success rate. That's about as good as U.S. and European shots, and far more effective than Chinese rivals. At least 20 countries have approved the inoculation for use, including European Union member-state Hungary, while key markets such as Brazil and India are close to authorizing it.
While Latin America is the most enthusiastic taker, Russia is also setting its sights on the prized EU market as the bloc struggles with its vaccination program amid supply shortages.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said last week the Russian shot could be used to protect people in the 27-member EU as long as it was approved by the European Medicines Agency.  Iran's first batch of Covid-19 Sputnik vaccines arrive in Tehran on Feb. 4. Photographer: Anadolu Agency/Anadolu In the global battle to defeat a pandemic that's claimed 2.3 million lives in little more than a year, the race to obtain vaccines has assumed geopolitical significance as governments seek to emerge from the huge social and economic damage caused by lockdowns imposed to limit the spread of the virus.
That's giving Russia the chance to reap diplomatic dividends as one of a handful of countries where scientists have produced an effective defense. Its decision to name Sputnik V after the world's first satellite, whose 1957 launch gave the Soviet Union a stunning triumph gave the Soviet Union a stunning triumph against the U.S. to start the space race, only underlined the scale of the significance Moscow attached to the achievement.
Unlike the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, Sputnik V can be stored in a standard refrigerator rather than a freezer, making it easier to transport and distribute in poorer and hotter countries. At around $20 for a two-shot vaccination, it's also cheaper than most Western alternatives. While more expensive than AstraZeneca's shot, the Russian inoculation has shown higher efficacy than its U.K. counterpart. Still, despite Russia's success, domestic demand remains lukewarm so far, weighed down by public suspicion of the authorities. That has some advantages, of course. Unlike in most countries, where the elderly and medical workers are the only ones guaranteed the vaccine, a phone call was enough to secure me an appointment the next morning in Moscow for the first of my two shots.—Henry Meyer | 
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