The tender was announced amid threats by Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to use nuclear weapons.

The website states that iodine is planned to be purchased for almost RUB 5,000,000 (about USD 86,000 at the current exchange rate).

Only four days are allocated for the procurement procedure.

The Russian government agency stressed that the purchase of potassium iodide for the population is carried out annually.

According to Russian media Kommersant, in late December 2020 and early March 2021, tenders for the purchase of the drug for approximately the same amount were placed in the system. The only difference is the urgency of the tender.

Potassium iodide preparations protect the thyroid gland so that radioactive iodine does not negatively affect the human body.