U.S. Embassy Urges Americans to Leave Russia Over Plague Report

The U.S. Embassy in Moscow on Tuesday urged American citizens to leave Russia immediately, citing a suspected case of pneumonic plague that reportedly killed a 28-year-old laboratory technician in Siberia's Irkutsk region. The embassy's advisory referenced press reports of the death and resulting quarantine measures and hospital closures in Irkutsk, noting the U.S. government has limited ability to assist citizens outside Moscow. It reaffirmed the State Department's Level 4 "Do Not Travel" advisory for Russia, also citing risks of wrongful detention and security concerns. Washington has offered Moscow assistance and President Donald Trump announced plans for a direct call with Vladimir Putin on the matter. Russian officials, however, have dismissed the reports as "fake news," attributing the death to pneumonia of unconfirmed cause and insisting the epidemiological situation is under control.