It is alleged on Facebook, in several publications written in different languages, that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered “the mass execution of 450 Covid-19 criminals that the Russian Army captured and detained”, under an alleged “March 2023 decree” that would prohibit the administration and research of vaccines against Covid-19 on Russian soil.
According to these postsan alleged agent of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation, Andrei Zakharov, reportedly told the website “Real Raw News” that “numerous health professionals and researchers in Russia chose to ignore Putin’s ordersclandestinely promoting new vaccines.”
But are these allegations factual? Did Putin actually ban the administration and research of vaccines against Covid-19 and order those who violated this alleged ban to be executed?
Is it true that Putin ordered the execution of “450 Covid-19 criminals”?
No. There is no official source, nor any credible media outlet which revealed that Vladimir Putin had signed a decree banning the administration and research of vaccines against Covid-19 or indicated that, following that ban, the Russian president had ordered the execution of 450 people.
This false allegation was born on “Real Raw News”, a website known for being a vehicle for sharing misinformation and for its sensationalist and decontextualized titles.
As explained in this article published on the Poynter Institute website in 2021, “Real Raw News” is not a credible media outlet, but rather a website that “regularly publishes fanciful and false stories with titles designed to go viral.”
In fact, contrary to what usually happens in newspapers online reference, in the “about us” section of “Real Raw News”, there is a notice highlighting that this website “contains humor, parody and satire”noting that this same note was published for the “protection” of its authors by “legal recommendation”.
On another level, as the Irish fact-checking newspaper points out “Logically Facts”, no military under the name Andrei Zakharov “made comments to any other media outlet”, and the reference to the alleged agent only appears on pages dedicated to the dissemination of disinformation.
This is not the first time that “Real Raw News” has published false information related to Covid-19 and the Russian president.
For example, in March 2023, the news agency “Associated Press” disassembled a false publicationwhich was circulating on social media, in which it was alleged that Putin had ordered the destruction of “all reserves of vaccines against Covid-19”.
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