Rubio presses Russia for answers over suspected plague death in Siberia

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged Russia to furnish additional details regarding the demise of a worker at a plague research laboratory in Siberia. In a statement on October 6, Rubio emphasized that Russia should share more information with the global community. He stated, "I think it's incumbent upon Russia to obviously share more information with the world."

The comments were made following the death of Darya Shipilova, a laboratory technician at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute in Shelekhov, which has raised concerns about a potential case of pneumonic plague. Quarantine and other measures were subsequently implemented in Irkutsk Oblast.

Independent Russian media reported that Shipilova may have unintentionally broken a test tube containing bacteria responsible for pneumonic plague while working at the institute on September 25. However, Russian authorities have not officially confirmed this account. Russian officials have sought to allay public fears, with Irkutsk Oblast Governor Igor Kobzev asserting on October 5 that the sanitary and epidemiological situation in the region remained stable.

In response to the plague scare, U.S. President Donald Trump indicated on October 5 that Washington would assist Russia in managing the situation.