Support The Moscow Times!

In Russian State TV Ad, Fortune Tellers Say Vaccination Is in Your Future

cottonbro / pexels

Miss Cleo will turn any skeptic into a believer.

That appears to be the logic behind a new pro-vaccine ad campaign aired on Russian state television as the country struggles to promote take-up despite the broad availability of free shots.

According to the Znak.com news website, the commercial that aired on mystery, science fiction and fantasy broadcaster TV-3 depicts a fortune teller who can’t see her customers’ futures because it’s “closed off,” making her anti-vax clients fear for their lives.

“But we’re able to protect ourselves, get vaccinated!” the voiceover reportedly says.

The PSA ends with the fortune tellers saying one's “fate will become clear” after getting vaccinated.

TV-3’s spooky spot follows another macabre ad last month that featured the chief doctor of a Moscow hospital promising a “tour” of the ICU, or “the hospital’s quietest hallway,” for those who buy fake Covid jab certificates.

The certificates have become hot commodities amid compulsory vaccination mandates in several Russian regions.

Read more