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Jaber Mohamed was a former chief communications officer at the Department of Health under Matt Hancock. He is now an associate director at a media relations company hired to elevate the profile of Moscow's controversial Sputnik V Covid vaccine in Britain

A former Government PR officer responsible for promoting Covid jabs to the British public became a spinner for a Kremlin-backed Russian firm involved in spreading propaganda about Western shots, MailOnline can reveal.

Jaber Mohamed left his role as chief communications officer at the Department of Health last summer where he worked under former Health Secretary Matt Hancock during the UK's coronavirus vaccine drive.

He is now an associate director at Engine MHP, the media relations company hired to elevate the profile of Moscow's controversial Sputnik V Covid vaccine in Britain.

The Russian jab, which is not being used by any major Western nations, is backed by the state-controlled Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) launched by Vladimir Putin in 2011. 

Security bosses in the EU and US have described Sputnik V as a Russian propaganda tool and said its aggressive media strategy 'sought to undermine public trust' in Western vaccines and regulators.   

There is no suggestion that Engine MHP or Mr Mohamed spread any misinformation but it comes amid heightened concerns about Kremlin interference in the UK following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.  

Investigations by the EU's defence ministry and US State Department last year found that Russia had used Sputnik to launch a vast campaign 'to spread propaganda and lies' about the Pfizer and Moderna jabs.

Most of the activity can be found on Sputnik's official Twitter account, which boasts 1million followers. The account has published a number of unfounded claims, including that AstraZeneca and Pfizer's vaccines have caused high numbers of unreported deaths. 

The Twitter account has also played up fears about vaccine side effects, and just days ago claimed jab-induced heart inflammation after mRNA vaccines was being 'underreported'. 

Engine MHP told MailOnline that it has cut all ties to the Russian Direct Investment Fund after what it called the 'appalling' Russian invasion of Ukraine and claims it 'received no payment for the work undertaken'. 

The firm also said it had no involvement in the content or management of Sputnik's social media accounts. 




The Sputnik vaccine has been mired in controversy since Russia rushed it through approval before it had been properly studied and tested in late 2020





Security officials have singled out Sputnik's official Twitter account, which boasts 1million followers, as being central to Russia's pandemic propaganda operation. On April 23 2021, it published unfounded claims that vaccines made by Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson and Johnson were killing more people than countries were officially disclosing. The 'study' looked at anyone who died from any cause and had received at least one Western vaccine in an attempt to question their safety profiles





Thirty-five countries, excluding Russia, have purchased Sputnik V doses, mostly in South America, Africa, Asia and eastern Europe, with the West steering clear of the Kremlin-backed shot. Italy has been producing doses but only a small number of Italians have actually received Sputnik, with most of its doses going to neighboring San Marino





 





It has also played up fears about the side effects of Western jabs including CVT - a severe type of brain clot associated in a rare number of people vaccinated with AstraZeneca or Johnson and Johnsons - and myocarditis, a rare type of heart inflammation spotted after mRNA vaccination





Investigations by US and EU intelligence officials have warned of Sputnik's media assault





Experts have questioned many of the claims made by Sputnik citing a lack of data, including that it is the 'world's safest vaccine'  





 





The Sputnik Twitter account raises fears about myocarditis in young people in an attempt to discredit Pfizer and Moderna's vaccines

A spokesperson for the company told MailOnline: 'Engine worked briefly with the RDIF to support medical communications around Sputnik V.

'We took a decision to cease working with the organisation due to the escalating and appalling situation in the Ukraine and received no payment for the work undertaken.'  

Mr Mohamed — a former journalist at the Mail on Sunday and Guardian — joined the press office at the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) in October 2018, where colleagues described him as 'eccentric'.




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