The Russian Ministry of Health said the first batch of Sputnik V vaccine, researched and developed by the Gamaleya Center, was put into circulation on September 7.

"The first batch of Sputnik V vaccine for the prevention of nCoV, developed by the National Gamaleya Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology, has passed the required quality tests in the Roszdravnadzor laboratories.

The announcement adds that the delivery of the first batch of Sputnik V vaccine to Russian regions will be done in the near future.

Mr. Murashko also announced that the Covid-19 vaccination process for volunteers in the Phase Three clinical trial will begin this week.

On August 11, Russia became the first country in the world to license the Covid-19 vaccine, although the Phase 3 trial has not yet been completed with the participation of thousands of people.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Russian Trade Minister Denis Manturov and a daughter of Russian President Vladimir Putin all received the vaccine.

Russia said at least 20 countries, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Brazil and India, have expressed a desire to access the Sputnik V vaccine. Russia plans to increase vaccine production up to 200 million doses.

Western scientists have repeatedly expressed concerns about the pace of Russian vaccine development, saying that researchers in this country may have "burned the stage".