Clinics in Moscow have begun vaccinating most-at-risk people as Russia launches its Covid-19 vaccination programme, using the Sputnik V vaccine, registered in August.
Developers say it is 95% effective and causes no major side effects, but it is still undergoing mass testing, according to the BBC.
Thousands have reportedly already registered to get the first of two jabs this weekend.
It is anticipated that producers will be able to make only two million doses of the vaccine by the end of the year.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, who announced the programme earlier in the week, said it was initially being offered to people in the city of 13 million who work in schools and the health service, and social workers.
An online registration service allows city residents between the ages of 18 and 60 in these professions to book free appointments at 70 sites around the city.
[Picture: Vladimir Fedotov on Unsplash]