Health and Vaccine Diplomacy in Russia's Foreign Policy

ABSTRACT

This chapter deals with the Russian Federation's management of the COVID-19 crisis in its foreign policy through health diplomacy. First, it looks at Russia's strategy globally and then focuses on two case studies Belarus and Italy. As shown by the analysis of the case studies, there have been at least two main phases in Russia's external response to the pandemic. In the first phase, Russia used health diplomacy and helped other countries (e.g., Italy) struggling with the pandemic, seeking to rebrand itself as a benevolent actor and generous actor. In the second phase, Russia took part in the vaccine race. As a result, it became the first country to register a COVID-19 vaccine—despite accusations of disregarding scientific standards—to boast its scientific excellence internationally and boost national pride among its citizens. Finally, the chapter acknowledges the spillovers of Russia's invasion of Ukraine for its health and vaccine diplomacy. Indeed, Russian companies and institutions must face the consequences of the war, which can further dilapidate the reputation built in the first phase of COVID-19 spreading. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.