Belarus Becomes The First Foreign Recipient Of Russia's COVID-19 Vaccine

JAKARTA - Under an agreement reached by two national leaders via telephone, Belarus will be the first foreign recipient of the Russian-made COVID-19 vaccine, Sputnik V, according to a statement by the Belarusian presidency on Monday, August 24.

The Belarusian citizens will also voluntarily participate in the final stage clinical trial, according to a statement from the president's office.

On August 1 Russia announced the first COVID-19 vaccine they developed

Russian officials confirmed that mass vaccinations would start as soon as October. Russian President Vladimir Putin said his daughter had taken the vaccine.

Putin and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko also discussed the current situation in Belarus and on the border.

In the aftermath of the controversial elections on August 9, in which Lukashenko was declared the winner, the Belarusian president accused foreign powers of instigating several weeks of protests against his government.