The blueprint for the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine was stolen by Russia who went on to use the designs to create the Sputnik V jab, security sources have claimed.
Sources allegedly told ministers they had evidence that spies working for the Kremlin had stolen the blueprint for the Covid jab and additional data from the multinational pharmaceutical company in order to design their own vaccine.
It is understood that the vital information was stolen by a foreign agent in person, The Sun reports.
The claims come just months after President Vladimir Putin confirmed that he had received Russia's Sputnik V shot as he urged Russians to get vaccinated against Covid.
President Vladimir Putin confirmed that he had received Russia's Sputnik V shot earlier this year
In September the results from two early clinical trials done in Moscow and published in the prestigious British journal The Lancet indicated Russia's Covid-19 vaccine was safe and effective.
The Russian scientists behind the studies said the jab stimulated an immune response in all inoculated participants and did not cause any serious health issues.
Production of antibodies seen in the patients suggested the vaccine was able to prepare the body to be able to fend off Covid-19.
Independent Western scientists said the results were 'somewhat reassuring' but warned the trials were too small and narrow to justify injecting millions of Russians.
Just 76 people were involved in the study, only half of whom were actually jabbed, and volunteers were all healthy and mostly in their 20s and 30s.
Scientists in the US and UK, who were not involved with the work, said the results were 'encouraging' and that the vaccine showed 'promise'.
However they were still concerned about the quality of the research and of jumping the gun and pumping the jab into people too soon.
The trials took place in two hospitals in Moscow, the Burdenko Hospital and Sechenov University Hospital.
Participants were aged between 18 and 60 and all deemed healthy with no underlying health conditions.
In phase 1 of the trial, volunteers were given one part of the vaccine to see if they suffered any negative side effects.
Two early clinical trials done in Moscow this year indicated Russia's Covid-19 vaccine was safe and effective
Nearly 60 per cent of participants suffered some pain at their injection site, while half suffered high temperatures - these are generally considered mild, acceptable effects.
Four in 10 reported a sore head, while a quarter felt weak or a lack of energy and 24 per cent had muscle and joint pain.
All of these symptoms were mild and quite common in many other adenovirus vaccines, so the Sputnik V was deemed to be safe and well tolerated.
