Trump is to call Putin 'very soon' as US demands answers over suspected pneumonic 'plague death' at Russian lab
From the Newshound archive · first published 6 October 2026 · last updated 7 October 2026.
Darya Shipilova, 28, whose death on October 2 after reportedly breaking a test tube of pneumonic plague bacteria sparked fears of an outbreak, was treated by doctors as a severe Covid case until it was too late for…Yersinia pestis, the bacterium behind pneumonic plague, as fears grow that the strain involved in the Irkutsk outbreak may be antibiotic-resistant, according to a former Trump arms control envoy.
Fights are breaking out for antibiotics in Russia's quarantine zone after Darya Shipilova, 28, a technician at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute in Siberia, died on October 2, reportedly after smashing a test tube containing the deadly bacterium. Trump told reporters he has a call with Putin scheduled and that US intelligence is in 'very deep discussions' about the potential outbreak, with results expected by Thursday. The State Department has sent a formal diplomatic demand — known as a demarche — to Moscow requesting full disclosure, warning that Russia's silence violates its international health obligations.
Russia has denied Shipilova had plague, calling her death 'pneumonia of undetermined cause', but nearly 200 people and five hospitals, including a maternity unit, were quarantined.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters he is watching the situation 'hour by hour', warning Russia it is 'incumbent' on Moscow to share information with the world.
Reports of a second death in the Irkutsk region have emerged, and the WHO has formally requested further information, demanding 'timely, complete and transparent' disclosure from Russia.
