Second batch of Russia's Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine arrives in India

As the second batch of the Sputnik V landed in Hyderabad, Telangana on Sunday, Russian Ambassador to India, Nikolay Kudashev termed the Russian-Indian fight against Covid-19, as an example of the special and privileged strategic partnership and an effective model of international anti-pandemic cooperation.

"We are very happy to see that the Russian-Indian joint fight against the Covid-19, which is one of the vital areas of our bilateral cooperation nowadays, has firmly stood on rails and moving forward," the Russian envoy told ANI.

Sputnik V has become the first foreign-made vaccine to be used in India contributing to the world's largest Covid-19 vaccination campaign. Inoculations with Sputnik V in Hyderabad started Friday followed by the arrival of the first batch of the vaccine in India on May 1, 2021.

Ambassador Kudashev said that life-saving humanitarian assistance delivered last month by the Russian side is being successfully used to help Indians to overcome the consequences of the disease.

"That is indeed a brilliant example of the special and privileged strategic partnership and an effective model of international anti-pandemic cooperation that does not know any unnecessary obstacles," he said.

Kudashev called the delivery of the second batch of Sputnik V vaccine "very timely" after the recent launch of the Russian vaccine in the Indian vaccination campaign.

"The efficacy of Sputnik V is well-known in the world. Back in Russia, it is being successfully used to vaccinate citizens starting since the second half of 2020. Russian specialists declared that it is also effective against the new strains of Covid-19," he said.

On the issue of production capacity, the Russian envoy added, "We expect that its production in India will be gradually increased 850 million doses per year. Looking forward to further expanding our bilateral and multilateral cooperation with India to stop the pandemic,"

He also revealed that there are plans to introduce a single-dose vaccine soon in India named Sputnik Lite.

Sputnik V was approved for use in India on April 12, 2021 and granted an emergency use authorisation. India is the leading production hub for Sputnik V.