Sales of UV anti-bacterial devices quadrupled after the gadget was accidently caught in an official Kremlin photograph of President Putin on Monday, claims a retailer selling the appliance.
Earlier this week the Kremlin’s official web site published photos of Vladimir Putin meeting Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, revealing a strange object standing behind them, resembling a white ironing board.
The image went viral after social media users spotted the object directly behind the president's shoulder.
The Kremlin press service explained the device was an air disinfection screen which purifies the air in public spaces. The gadget uses ultraviolet to protect people from dangerous pathogens that could be brought in by visitors.
The disinfection screen is equipped with ozone-resistant lamps providing radiation to kill bacteria in the air of the room and is effective during epidemics. The device kills 90-99 percent of air transmitted organisms and is widely used in hospitals, according to the retailer.
“We were really surprised when got 20 orders from customers compared to four or five the day before,” said Vera Grezneva, the manager at the company selling the equipment.
She added that the so-called anti-bacteria irradiator is one of their most popular products, but people have never bought disinfectant machines for domestic use. “The sales (for domestic use) soared right after the release of the photos,” said the manager.