MOSCOW, November 24. /TASS/. The WHO (World Health Organization) inspection is expected to visit Russia as part of the Sputnik V vaccine approval procedure in December, Chief Executive Officer of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) Kirill Dmitriev told reporters on Wednesday.

"The Russian Health Ministry is holding a dialogue with the WHO now, we expect the inspection in December and see progress in that process," he said.

Earlier, Dmitriev said that the Sputnik V jab was expected to be approved by the WHO by the end of 2021. However, the Organization did not provide a direct answer to the question asked by a TASS correspondent whether the Sputnik V procedure might be completed within this period.

Sputnik V was registered in Russia on August 11, 2020, becoming the first officially registered vaccine against the coronavirus infection worldwide. To date, the jab has been certified in 71 countries.