Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga demanded that Russia disclose the circumstances surrounding the death of a 28-year-old employee of an anti-plague institute in the Irkutsk region and provide the international community with full epidemiological data.
Daria Shipilova died on October 2 in the Shelekhov district hospital. She worked at the Irkutsk Research Institute for Combating the Plague of Siberia and the Far East. After her death, allegations emerged that the cause was pneumonic plague. About 200 people who had been in contact with her have been placed under isolation and medical observation, and quarantine measures have been introduced in several hospitals.
„Russia must disclose all the circumstances of this case, provide transparent epidemiological data, and cooperate with international mechanisms. When it comes to dangerous pathogens, silence is a threat to everyone,” said Sibiga.
Differences in case assessments
The World Health Organization has classified the case as suspected pneumonic plague and said it does not yet have enough information to conduct a full risk assessment. The organization has asked Russian authorities for details of the laboratory tests of the deceased and her contacts, as well as an explanation of the measures taken. The WHO also said it was checking media reports of a second employee with pneumonia of unknown cause.
Rospotrebnadzor reported that the diagnosis was pneumonia of unknown etiology. According to the Russian service, no microorganisms related to the deceased’s professional activity were found during extended testing of samples. The department stated that there is no epidemic risk for the population of Irkutsk and the Irkutsk region and that no emergency situations have been identified when working with pathogenic microorganisms.
Sybiga recalled previous crises
The Ukrainian minister stated that Moscow has a systematic practice of concealing information about serious crises. As examples, he cited the anthrax leak in Sverdlovsk in 1979, the Chernobyl disaster in 1986 and the alleged cover-up of the scale of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-2022.
Sybiga also linked the case to broader international concerns about dangerous pathogens, chemical weapons and Russian nuclear threats in the war against Ukraine. Russia must provide data on the case in the Irkutsk region, while the medical cause of Shipilova's death and the presence of plague remain the subject of conflicting reports.
Sources: focus-news.net, who.int, interfax.ru