Vladislav Grigoriev19:31, 03.10.26

The governor of the Irkutsk region refused to speak publicly about outbreaks of pneumonic plague in the region.

Russian officials are covering up a massive outbreak of pneumonic plague in the Irkutsk region, which has already killed one person and quarantined 189 others, according to The Sun.

It is noted that Irkutsk Region Governor Igor Kobzev refused to publicly discuss the outbreak of pneumonic plague, only mentioning the spread of a “dangerous infectious disease,” while canceling mass events in the region. Meanwhile, antibiotic supplies in the Irkutsk Region have already run out, as frightened residents flock to pharmacies.

Russian media reports that 28-year-old Darya Shipilova, a specialist at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute, has died of pneumonic plague. Preliminary reports indicate she contracted the disease during an expedition on the border between Russia and Mongolia, where cases of rapidly spreading infections have been confirmed.

The Sun also discovered that residents of Baikalsk in the Irkutsk region were advised in an official notice to avoid travel to the city of Shelekhov, but this message was later removed.

The publication added that Anna Popova, the chief infectious disease doctor in Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s administration, even urgently flew from Moscow to the Irkutsk region to personally take charge of the emergency response, but has remained silent.Read also:

Leading Russian epidemiologist Mikhail Favorov, now based in the United States, told reporters that Popova’s personal presence in Irkutsk means the situation is “terrible and critical.” He noted that a widespread cover-up of the facts is currently underway.

(C)UNIAN 2026