KIEV, February 11. /TASS/. Ukraine’s government has banned registration of Russia-made vaccines and drugs against the novel coronavirus infection.

"Registration of vaccines or other medical immunobiological medicines against the COVID-19 acute respiratory disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus developer and/or manufactures in a state recognized as an aggressor state by the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine’s parliament - TASS) is prohibited," as follows from a resolution of the Ukrainian cabinet passed on Wednesday.

Earlier, Ukraine’s authorities cited other reasons for refusing from Russian vaccines. Thus, several days ago, President Vladimir Zelensky said that Ukraine would not use Russia’s Sputnik V vaccines because Russia had to vaccinate its own population before offering the vaccine to other countries.

In late 2020, Ukraine signed a contract for more than 1.9 million vaccine doses with China’s Sinovac Biotech. The first batch of 700,000 doses is expected to reach Ukraine in February. Apart from that, Ukraine expects vaccine supplies within the COVAX mechanism under the auspices of the World Health Organization (WHO). Thus, it will receive 117,000 doses of Pfizer’s vaccine in mid-February. Kiev also expects 12 million doses of AstraZeneca’s and Novavax’ vaccines also in February. The country’s health minister said on February 8 its was planned to begin mass vaccination next week.