US urges citizens to leave Russia over suspected plague in Irkutsk region

The United States has urged its citizens to leave Russia immediately due to a suspected pneumonic plague outbreak in the Irkutsk region, citing a State Department Level 4 "do not travel" advisory. The U.S. Embassy in Russia issued the warning, noting limited U.S. government ability to assist citizens there. The embassy referenced press reports of a suspected plague death in Irkutsk, along with quarantine measures and hospital closures. It advised Americans who remain to have independent evacuation plans that do not rely on U.S. government help. A 28-year-old woman died at a hospital in Shelekhov on October 2, with the plague confirmed by the head of Buryatia. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has urged the public not to trust reports of the outbreak.