The Kremlin&nbsp;said on Wednesday that&nbsp;Russian President Vladimir Putin had&nbsp;received two vaccine shots against COVID-19 in March and April after previously declining to disclose which vaccine he had taken.

Meanwhile,&nbsp;Putin said&nbsp;he was against mandatory vaccinations despite a surge in coronavirus infections in the country as well as sluggish inoculation rates.

"I do not support mandatory vaccinations," Putin told Russians during an annual phone-in, adding that he was vaccinated earlier this year with the country's homegrown Sputnik vaccine.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/why-anti-vaxxers-are-rushing-to-buy-fake-covid-19-jab-certificates-in-russia-393907">Why anti-vaxxers are rushing to buy fake COVID-19 jab certificates in Russia</a>

Russian authorities have blamed a recent surge in COVID-19 cases on the infectious Delta variant, which they say accounts for around 90 per cent&nbsp;of all new cases, and on the reluctance of many Russians to get vaccinated.

Moscow last week ordered mandatory vaccinations for service industry workers, after only about a million of its 12 million residents got shots in the six months they were available.&nbsp;A host of other Russian regions followed suit.

Also see |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/from-sputnik-1-to-sputnik-v-russian-scientific-achievements-375926">From Sputnik-1 to Sputnik V: Russian scientific achievements</a>

Russia&nbsp;last August stoked concerns over Sputnik V by registering the vaccine ahead of large-scale clinical trials, but international experts have since declared it safe and effective.&nbsp;

Many Russians are nonetheless wary, with some 60 percent saying they do not plan to be inoculated, according to independent polling.

That sentiment has helped foster a black market on Telegram and Russian darknet forums where dozens of dealers are claiming to sell fake jab certificates and even falsified registration on the government's vaccination database. While some clients complain of being defrauded, others have left reviews saying everything went as planned.&nbsp;

Russia, which has a population of around 144 million, has approved four domestically-made vaccines and recorded some 5.5 million infections since the start of the pandemic.

(With inputs from agencies)

The Kremlin said on Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin had received two vaccine shots against COVID-19 in March and April after previously declining to disclose which vaccine he had taken.

The Kremlin said on Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin had received two vaccine shots against COVID-19 in March and April after previously declining to disclose which vaccine he had taken. Meanwhile, Putin said he was against mandatory vaccinations despite a surge in coronavirus infections in the country as well as sluggish inoculation rates. "I do not support mandatory vaccinations," Putin told Russians during an annual phone-in, adding that he was vaccinated earlier this year with the country's homegrown Sputnik vaccine. Also read| Why anti-vaxxers are rushing to buy fake COVID-19 jab certificates in Russia Russian authorities have blamed a recent surge in COVID-19 cases on the infectious Delta variant, which they say accounts for around 90 per cent of all new cases, and on the reluctance of many Russians to get vaccinated. Moscow last week ordered mandatory vaccinations for service industry workers, after only about a million of its 12 million residents got shots in the six months they were available. A host of other Russian regions followed suit. Also see | From Sputnik-1 to Sputnik V: Russian scientific achievements Russia last August stoked concerns over Sputnik V by registering the vaccine ahead of large-scale clinical trials, but international experts have since declared it safe and effective. Many Russians are nonetheless wary, with some 60 percent saying they do not plan to be inoculated, according to independent polling. That sentiment has helped foster a black market on Telegram and Russian darknet forums where dozens of dealers are claiming to sell fake jab certificates and even falsified registration on the government's vaccination database. While some clients complain of being defrauded, others have left reviews saying everything went as planned. Russia, which has a population of around 144 million, has approved four domestically-made vaccines and recorded some 5.5 million infections since the start of the pandemic. (With inputs from agencies)

Putin received Russia-made Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine

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Putin received Russia-made Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine