Media: The Plague In Russia May Have Been The Result Of Dangerous Experiments With Biological Weapons
- 8.10.2026, 10:09
There have already been similar cases in Russia.
The international community should call for an independent investigation into the death of 28-year-old Daria Shipilova, an employee of the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute in Russia. This is stated in a report by the Atlantic Council, which analyzed Russia’s experience in the field of biological weapons development.
“Independent organizations must be able to determine the cause of Shipilova’s death,” the author writes, noting that this requires preserved samples, clinical and laboratory records, as well as an independent examination of the evidence, “while it still exists.”
Furthermore, if anyone who came into contact with her falls ill despite appropriate treatment or preventive measures, investigators will need to consider the possibility of a resistant strain.
Experiments with the Plague
The authors recalled that, starting in the 1920s, a biological weapons program was developed and expanded over many decades in the USSR. There, they experimented with modifying and combining various types of biological agents to create more powerful weapons, but the primary agent was the plague.
The article cites the opinion of American biological and chemical weapons expert Raymond Zilinskas, who states that nominally civilian units also worked with dangerous strains, while military facilities were directly linked to the “biological weapons program.”
It is noted that, according to 2025 State Department data, Russia’s program to develop offensive biological weapons was never completed, and “military-linked laboratories are expanding.” In its 2026 annual threat assessment, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence noted that Russian scientists continue to develop new chemical and biological agents. The assessment warned that “dual-use biotechnology could increase the risk of accidental release of pathogens.”
“The expansion of these programs demonstrates Russia’s continued interest in biological research in a military context, including work on potential dual-use applications,” the article states.
At the same time, the authors note that Russia has already used chemical weapons on a localized basis on multiple occasions in the war against Ukraine. However, it has so far adhered to the norm against “large-scale use of chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons.”
Incident at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute
It should be noted that several versions of Shipilova’s death have already appeared in the Russian media. Initially, the official head of the Buryat region stated that she had died of the plague; later, the report was edited to include the word “possibly.” It was reported that a few days earlier, a test tube containing infectious agents might have broken in her hands. Then a version emerged claiming that the cause of death was ordinary pneumonia. At the same time, at least 200 people who may have come into contact with her were placed in quarantine.
How anthrax “escaped from a laboratory” in the USSR
In 1979, an anthrax outbreak spread in Sverdlovsk, claiming the lives of at least 68 people. Soviet officials kept secret the fact that the military was the source of the outbreak. They blamed contaminated meat for the spread of the disease. But in 1992, the military admitted responsibility.