NYT: What The Kremlin Is Hiding About The Plague Outbreak

• 6.10.2026, 12:44

Contradictory statements are coming out of Russia.

Rumors have begun circulating in the Irkutsk Region about a possible plague outbreak following reports of the death of a young lab employee and the imposition of quarantine measures. Russian authorities are trying to convince the public that there is no dangerous disease, writes The New York Times.

Rospotrebnadzor reported that the employee of the anti-plague institute was hospitalized with a diagnosis of “pneumonia of unknown origin.” No microorganisms related to her professional activities were found in her biological samples. No abnormalities were found among those who had been in contact with her either.
Russian authorities state that an inspection of the biosafety system revealed no violations, and that the epidemiological situation in the region is stable.
However, conflicting information was emerging from the region. Regional officials and mayors spoke of a “particularly dangerous infection,” after which certain departments and a laboratory in Shelekhov were closed. Social media and local media also reported on a possible plague outbreak, though some posts soon disappeared.

“Reports of the plague were published and then deleted,” notes The New York Times.

Additional rumors emerged in neighboring Buryatia. There, officials initially announced that a person had died of the plague, but later revised their statement.

However, reports of a broken test tube and the death of a lab technician have not been officially confirmed.

The United States and European countries are monitoring the situation. Experts emphasize that even if the plague is confirmed, the disease is usually easily treatable with antibiotics. Virologist Jan Jones considers the incident a possible rare laboratory accident and assesses the risk of widespread infection as low.