Шипилова Дарья Инкогнитовна ака Daria Shipilova
aka «Darya Shipilova», «Darya Shipilova» (1998.oo.oo, Московия - 2026.10.02, Шелехов, Московия),
исторический персонаж, связанный с распространением новой, неизвестной ранее легочной инфекции «IrkutskPlague».
Image by The Telegraph
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/10/05/russian-researcher-dies-plague-released-lab-accident/
Russia accused of covering up plague leak
Authorities downplay death of lab worker who accidentally broke test tube of pathogen that causes the infectious disease
Emily Blumenthal. Lily Shanagher Foreign Breaking News Reporter. Antonia Langford. // Anne Gulland Deputy Editor, Global Health Security // Updated 05 October 2026 2:12pm BST // Published 05 October 2026 2:10am BST
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Russia accused of covering up plague leak
Authorities downplay death of lab worker who accidentally broke test tube of pathogen that causes the infectious disease
Emily Blumenthal. Lily Shanagher Foreign Breaking News Reporter. Antonia Langford. // Anne Gulland Deputy Editor, Global Health Security // Updated 05 October 2026 2:12pm BST // Published 05 October 2026 2:10am BST
Russia has been accused of covering up the death of a laboratory technician from a suspected plague leak.
Darya Shipilova, 28, was diagnosed with pneumonia of “unknown” origin, according to Rospotrebnadzor, the Russian federal agency that handles infectious diseases.
Local reports said Shipilova, who worked for the anti-plague institute in Siberia’s Irkutsk region, died after accidentally breaking a test tube containing the pathogen that causes pneumonic plague.
The incident reportedly happened on Sept 25 and she died overnight between Oct 1 and Oct 2. Almost 200 people who had been in contact with her were forced into a strict three-week quarantine as officials attempted to stem a potential outbreak.
Russian authorities later downplayed reports despite multiple media outlets finding possible links between the death and a lab accident.
The Kremlin urged people not to listen to rumours, while pro-Putin news websites deleted posts about the plague. So too did local officials, including one who said not to visit the affected town of Shelekhov.
Darya Shipilova, 28, died after being diagnosed with a pneumonia of unknown origin, according to a Russian infectious disease agency
Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, commanding officer of the UK’s Joint Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Regiment, accused Russian authorities of having “clammed up” and withdrawing social media posts in an attempt to stifle reporting.
“We should be worried [about what’s happened in Russia] because plague has a long history of causing mayhem,” he said.
“For a lab technician working with plague to die from plague is extraordinary. She should have been vaccinated, there should have been medical countermeasures.”
What’s been reported about lab leak
The incident took place at the Irkutsk Antiplague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East in Shelekhov, near the border with Mongolia, state media said.
The institute studies “especially dangerous infectious diseases”, according to its website.
Citing information from Rospotrebnadzor, Alexei Tsydenov, the head of the neighbouring republic of Buryatia, said the woman “may have died of plague”, but that there were “no plague outbreaks in the republic, including in the areas bordering Mongolia”.
Mr Tsydenov did not specify the type of plague, but Russian media have reported that the disease was pneumonic plague – the only form that can be spread from person to person.
Shipilova reportedly told medical workers that she had accidentally broken a test tube filled with live bacteria while collecting samples.
She was taken to hospital in Shelekhov on Tuesday with symptoms of severe pneumonia and placed on a ventilator before dying two days later, according to the Moscow Times.
Russian outlet People of Baikal reported that several hospitals in Irkutsk had been closed for a three-week quarantine. A source claimed doctors were “already openly talking about plague” despite the official diagnosis being absent from official documents.
CNN reported that an aluminium plant near the laboratory had ordered workers to wear masks as a precaution.
All public events in Irkutsk have reportedly been cancelled. Russian media also reported that law enforcement had opened a criminal investigation into possible safety violations surrounding the death.
‘Contradictory information around incident’
“What concerns me most at present is less evidence of a large outbreak than the uncertainty and contradictory information around the incident,” said Filippa Lentzos, a reader in international security at King’s College London and expert in biosecurity.
“We still need a clear account of the diagnosis, the route of exposure, what exactly happened in the lab, and whether the containment and reporting procedures worked as intended.”
Igor Kobzev, the governor of the Irkutsk region, had said an “extraordinary meeting” between the regional anti-epidemic commission and Russia’s chief state doctor had been called.
He cited “reports of a suspected case of a highly dangerous infectious disease in a regional resident”, but said none of the woman’s contacts were showing signs of illness and all testing was negative.
..
On Monday, Mr Kobzev said a special expert commission inspection in the region had found that “the cause of death was pneumonia of undetermined etiology”.
He added that Rospotrebnadzor had determined, following tests, that “no microorganisms linked to the young woman’s professional work were found in her biological samples”.
No other workers at the institute had sought medical attention and the situation was stable, he said.
Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, told reporters to “rely on Rospotrebnadzor’s official statements rather than ... rumours and speculations”.
Gennady Onishchenko, a former head of Rospotrebnadzor, said on Friday that the infection was “most likely not the plague, but even if confirmed, there will be no spread of this disease”.
On Monday morning, Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, said Washington was monitoring reports of the infection
“There’s very limited travel between the US and Russia, obviously, but like anything else, something like that gets out, it could quickly spread,” he said.
“So we’re watching and monitoring closely. I don’t think it’s a cause for alarm, but it is cause for focus and a cause to keep an eye on it. And we’re doing that.”