Russian official accuses Bill Gates of blocking better vaccines and promoting weak ones

Moscow. Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia’s sovereign fund, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), has leveled serious allegations against Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and his foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Dmitriev claims that vaccination programs globally have obstructed the adoption of supposedly better vaccine options and promoted relatively less effective vaccines.

Allegations made on social media

Writing on the social media platform X, Dmitriev said the foundation exerted “extensive influence” on vaccine policy through funding, regulatory processes, government cooperation, and media influence. However, independently verified evidence to support these allegations has not been publicly presented.

“People were misled,” Dmitriev
alleged. He alleged that people globally were allegedly being kept away from alternatives that could be more effective.
Dmitriev himself has been involved in the international promotion and investment efforts for Russia’s COVID-19 vaccine, Sputnik V, which has led to discussions about this statement in geopolitical context.

Report and mention of Epstein

In his statement, Dmitriev cited an earlier report by the British newspaper Financial Times that mentioned links between Gates and the late financial tycoon Jeffrey Epstein. Epstein was charged in the US in 2019 with trafficking minors and died in prison that year, an official investigation ruled a suicide.

Reference to US Justice Department action

Todd Blanch, referring to the process of declassifying documents related to the case, said in January that millions of pages of records related to the Epstein case were being released. This development occurred as part of the judicial process in the United States.

Official response on the allegations is awaited.

There has been no detailed official response from the Gates Foundation to Dmitriev’s allegations. Global health experts say such claims can only be verified through independent scientific and regulatory scrutiny.

What is the broader context?
Following the Ukraine war, tensions between Russia and the West have escalated. In this context, vaccines, technology, and global health programs are becoming increasingly part of geopolitical discourse, leading to a political perspective on such allegations.