US says Russia-backed outlets are spreading the COVID-19 vaccine “disinformation.”

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States has identified three online publications directed by Russian intelligence that it claims are trying to undermine Pfizer and Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccines, a State Department spokeswoman said on Sunday.

The outlets “are spreading many kinds of disinformation, including about both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, as well as international organizations, military conflicts, protests and any divisive issue they can exploit,” the spokeswoman said.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) first reported identifying the alleged campaign on Sunday. A Kremlin spokesman denied the US allegation that Russia was spreading false information about vaccines to the WSJ.

The Russian Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Russia approved its Sputnik V vaccine in August, before a large-scale trial began, and said it was the first country to do so for a COVID-19 injection. Peer-reviewed studies months later proved it to be nearly 92% effective at fighting the virus.

Pfizer, headquartered in New York, and Germany’s BioNTech, produced the first vaccine to be approved in the United States and approved by regulators in December. The second, made by Moderna, headquartered in Massachusetts, was approved later that month.

The State Department’s Global Engagement Center, set up to counter propaganda and disinformation campaigns, identified the three outlets, the spokeswoman said.

News Front is being monitored by the Russian Federal Security Service, the center discovered. New Eastern Outlook and Oriental Review are controlled and monitored by the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service.

A fourth outlet, Rebel Inside, controlled by the Russian military, was also mentioned by the center, but is largely dormant, the spokeswoman said.

“The ministry will continue to expose Russia’s nefarious activities online,” she added. “We will also continue to work closely with our allies and partners to provide a global response to countering disinformation.”