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Fact check: False claim that Russia destroyed all COVID-19 vaccines

The claim: Putin ordered the destruction of all COVID-19 vaccines in Russia

A March 5 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) shows a screenshot of a tweet that claims Russia is putting an end to the COVID-19 vaccine.

"Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the destruction of all Covid-19 vaccine stockpiles on Russian soil, 48 hours after the scientist who made Russian vaccine was found strangled to death," reads the tweet.

The Instagram post received over 1,000 likes in less than two weeks, and the original tweet garnered more than 500 retweets.

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Our rating: False

The Russian Ministry of Health continues to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine throughout Russia. The claim originated from website that regularly publishes fabricated stories.

COVID-19 vaccine still distributed in Russia

There's no evidence Putin ordered the destruction of all COVID-19 vaccines in Russia. There are no credible news reports about such a development.

The Russian Ministry of Health shared a post on Telegram on March 5 saying it sent batches of Sputnik V, Russia's COVID-19 vaccine, to several regions in the country.

"Batches of the Sputnik V vaccine have been distributed by the Russian Ministry of Health and have already been sent by the supplier to the city of Moscow and a number of other regions that have reported a decrease in vaccine residues," reads an English translation of the post. "The Sputnik V vaccine effectively protects against severe COVID-19 and death."

Fact check: COVID-19 mRNA vaccines cannot cause the disease, don't have live virus

The Instagram post's claim originated in an article published by Real Raw News, a website that routinely publishes fabricated stories. The website's "About Us" page says it "contains humor, parody and satire," but the disclaimer doesn't appear on the website's articles.

USA TODAY has previously debunked numerous claims originating from the website, including assertions that the military found the drug scopolamine in the COVID-19 vaccine and that President Joe Biden received a fake COVID-19 booster shot during a staged event.

One of the virologists who helped create Sputnik V was found strangled to death in his apartment on March 2, according to Insider. A 29-year-old suspect has been arrested and charged, the Investigative Committee of Russia said in a statement.

USA TODAY reached out to the Instagram user who shared the post for comment. The Twitter user couldn't be reached.

The claim has also been debunked by the Associated Press, PolitiFact, Check Your Fact and AFP.

Our fact-check sources:

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: False claim that Russia destroyed all COVID-19 vaccines