As the world awaits new details, Russia is reluctant to reveal facts about the rumored case of death from plague. An epidemiologist Andrii Aleksandrin is skeptical about the whole situation.
Excellent report. Thanks for the in depth look at Russia's plague event. trump puts so many innocent people in harm's way because he is so beholden to putin and is a repulsive racist.
The US has had its share of lab spills of deadly pathogens, e.g. [1]. There is no cause for complacency in any country.
The main concern here, I think, is that Russia is poorly-equipped to handle an epidemic. Certainly that was the case with Covid [2], and things cannot be better in a nation at war.
Compounding the risk is the tendency of Russia to lie. It's one thing if the lies are about battlefield deaths. But when the lies are about an epidemic, they are far more dangerous.
Thanks to the lying, the world cannot even trust that this is not a bioengineered pathogen that won't respond to antibiotic therapy. What a mess, all due to Russia's failure to transition to democracy.
Great report - thank you! October 19th is not the only date this month of consequence (referring to the update note on Ukrainians potentially losing their temporary protective status by 10/19 without an extension).
To also note: As of today, Trump has still not yet initiated specific country-level or secondary tariff actions under the newly enacted Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, which he signed into law on September 18, 2026. As I understand it, the Act provides a statutory deadline or window of 30 days for implementation. I'm not expecting any urgency or action from this Administration.
Excellent report. Thanks for the in depth look at Russia's plague event. trump puts so many innocent people in harm's way because he is so beholden to putin and is a repulsive racist.
The US has had its share of lab spills of deadly pathogens, e.g. [1]. There is no cause for complacency in any country.
The main concern here, I think, is that Russia is poorly-equipped to handle an epidemic. Certainly that was the case with Covid [2], and things cannot be better in a nation at war.
Compounding the risk is the tendency of Russia to lie. It's one thing if the lies are about battlefield deaths. But when the lies are about an epidemic, they are far more dangerous.
Thanks to the lying, the world cannot even trust that this is not a bioengineered pathogen that won't respond to antibiotic therapy. What a mess, all due to Russia's failure to transition to democracy.
1. https://kffhealthnews.org/public-health/lab-leak-biohazard-wastewater-book-excerpt-pandoras-gamble-alison-young/
2. https://www.csis.org/analysis/russias-response-covid-19
Great report - thank you! October 19th is not the only date this month of consequence (referring to the update note on Ukrainians potentially losing their temporary protective status by 10/19 without an extension).
To also note: As of today, Trump has still not yet initiated specific country-level or secondary tariff actions under the newly enacted Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, which he signed into law on September 18, 2026. As I understand it, the Act provides a statutory deadline or window of 30 days for implementation. I'm not expecting any urgency or action from this Administration.