Russia 'pressured' dead plague scientist's family to stay quiet

Speculation is mounting following the death of Darya Shipilova that her family, now preparing for her funeral, is being pressured by the Russian government not to speak

An alleged Russian cover-up operation saw the family of a woman who died from a bout of suspected plague pressured into silence, it has been claimed.

Darya Shipilova, 28, an anti-plague researcher who worked at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East in Irkutsk, Siberia, died on October 2 after suffering from pneumonia. She reportedly broke a flask at the institute before dying at hospital, and nearly 200 people were taken for observation in the days following as fears of a potential outbreak grew.

Now it has been claimed that Ms Shipilova's family members, who are preparing for her funeral and refusing to speak out about her death, are being pressured by the Kremlin.

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A Telegram channel said it had reached out to the late scientist's family, but was met by silence by her father and brother. Her mother, Svetlana, a medical professional, however, accused doctors of failing to save her daughter, and added fuel to claims that she was infected in a lab accident.

She said last week: "I’ve saved patients like that myself, more than one, but they didn’t save my daughter. They simply let my daughter die. They abandoned her and let her die."

The mum has not spoken since, and a source speaking to The Metro claimed it appears Ms Shipilova's family is "under pressure not to voice their concerns over her death". Russian officials have claimed there is no outbreak, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov urging people not to "listen to various rumours".

Peskov asked people to only follow information from Rospotrebnadzor, the country's national health agency, while condemning "fake news".

The agency had handed down an official cause of death of pneumonia of unknown origin, and has been sending information to the World Health Organisation (WHO). It said in a statement that there are "no epidemic risks for the population" in the Irkutsk region.

The agency said in a statement: "Preventive and anti-epidemic measures have been organised in full, and there are no epidemic ⁠risks for the population of Irkutsk or ⁠Irkutsk region."

The WHO has said the information it was provided suggests there is no "ongoing transmission" associated with the death. But it criticised the lack of a clear diagnosis from Russian officials, saying in a statement: "A key uncertainty remains the absence of a confirmed diagnosis in the deceased laboratory worker."

Irkutsk locals have also beeen left upset by the lack of information, with one resident, Nadezhda, saying people are unsure as to how dangerous the situation is.

She told Sky News last week: "Of course, I would really like to know what it really was and how dangerous it is. But, unfortunately, there is no such information. And therefore, this leads to speculation and rumors, which does not calm the situation down."

"Unfortunately, people have become accustomed to such cataclysms. After Covid, it seems they're no longer so scary."