A possible case of plague in Russia and Moscow’s secrecy. An American publication compares the case to the Soviets’ reaction to the Chernobyl disaster

The suspicion of a case of pneumonic plague in Siberia raises questions about Moscow’s transparency, in an analysis published by Newsweek on October 5. The magazine compares the authorities’ response with Soviet secrecy following the Chernobyl disaster, the 1986 nuclear accident.

The death of a laboratory technician in Siberia has sparked controversy in Russia after local media reported that the woman may have been infected with Yersinia pestis, the bacterium that causes plague, following a possible laboratory accident. The incident allegedly took place at an institute in Irkutsk that studies pathogens and bioterrorism risks, but Russian authorities deny that an accident or outbreak occurred.

Daria Shipilova allegedly began showing symptoms of pneumonia and was hospitalized on September 29 in the city of Shelekhov. The hospital ward was placed under quarantine on October 1, and the woman died the following day. Public information about the diagnosis and causes of death remains unclear.

Rospotrebnadzor announced that the victim allegedly had “pneumonia of undetermined etiology” and that two commissions had not identified any violations of biosafety regulations. In contrast, officials from the Irkutsk region and Buryatia referred to a possible extremely dangerous infection or even plague. A public warning concerning travel to Shelekhov was subsequently deleted.

Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are monitoring the situation and have intensified health checks at the border with Russia, while the United States is asking Moscow for clear information.

The case once again draws attention to the lack of transparency associated with the Russian authorities, compared with the way the Soviet Union concealed the Chernobyl disaster. Contradictory statements and deleted warnings are fueling distrust. Newsweek emphasizes that there is no public evidence confirming infection with plague: the comparison with Chernobyl concerns the opacity of those in power, not the scale of a proven catastrophe.

The WHO assesses that the risk to the general population is low, based on the available information.

Following the alert, the U.S. Embassy in Moscow advised U.S. citizens in Russia to strictly follow health recommendations, amid a possible case of pneumonic plague in the Irkutsk region.

Read also: ANALYSIS From “pneumonic plague” in Russia to “pneumonia of unknown etiology.” How the narrative changed in the Russian media