Russia Revises Scientist's Plague Death Report After Initial Warnings

Russian officials initially reported a possible plague case after a scientist's death, but these statements were later removed or revised, with federal authorities offering a different cause of death. Newsweek highlighted inconsistencies in the official communications. On October 3, officials in Baikalsk warned residents against travel to nearby Shelekhov, citing plague reports, but the post was deleted. The head of Buryatia initially stated the woman died of plague, then edited his post to say she may have died of it, while federal authorities later attributed the death to pneumonia of unknown origin. The case involves 27-year-old Darya Shepilova, who died on October 2 after breaking a test tube containing plague pathogens on September 25. US President Donald Trump offered Russia assistance, and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow viewed the offer positively.