U.S. Presses Russia to Disclose Plague Information; State Department Sends Official Letter

[Financial News] The Trump administration has sent Russia an official diplomatic letter urging it to disclose more information about a suspected leak of a plague pathogen.
The New York Times (NYT) and other outlets reported on the 7th (local time) that the U.S. State Department had sent the Russian government a “demarche” (a formal diplomatic position, protest or request delivered by one government to another through diplomatic channels).
In a statement the previous day, the State Department said it had “formally requested additional information from the Russian government” and was “also communicating formally with other countries around the world to share information.”
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that the letter also warned that withholding details about the incident would violate international health obligations.
On the 25th of last month, Darya Shipilova, 28, a female employee at the Irkutsk epidemiological research institute in Russia, accidentally broke a test tube containing a live pathogen. Her symptoms worsened two days later, on the 27th. She was hospitalized on the 29th but died in the hospital’s intensive care unit on the 2nd of this month.
Since the incident, Trump administration officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have continued to press Russia to disclose more information.
It remains unclear whether the deceased research institute employee died of pneumonic plague, which is fatal without prompt emergency treatment, and how far the disease, known to be highly infectious, has spread.
U.S. President Donald Trump also said he would speak by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin soon about the issue.
With information still scarce, the Trump administration is closely monitoring developments while holding off on a new government response.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the previous day on X: “At this time, there are no signs of a widespread threat to the United States, but the CDC and partner agencies are prepared and continue to monitor the situation closely.”
The previous day, a post on the X account of TravelGov, the State Department’s travel information service, said: “The U.S. government has limited ability to assist U.S. citizens in Russia, particularly those on the outskirts of Moscow,” and added: “The State Department’s Level 4 travel advisory for Russia (Do Not Travel) remains in effect. U.S. citizens currently in Russia should leave immediately.”
Speaking to reporters at the White House that day about the possibility that the plague outbreak in Russia was a biological weapon, President Trump said, “I don’t think so,” adding, “We’ll know enough soon.”
He added, “From what I hear from them (the Russian side), they say it’s under control.”
Asked whether he was getting a similar feeling from Russia now to what he had experienced with China in the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak during his first term, President Trump reiterated: “China didn’t say a lot, and Russia isn’t saying a lot either,” adding, “But they say they have things fairly well under control.”
China was criticized for not disclosing enough information during the early spread of COVID-19 after cases were first reported there in late 2019.
President Trump also said that a call with President Putin was scheduled for that day. It was Putin’s 74th birthday.


[email protected] Lee Seok-woo, International Affairs Specialist Reporter