EXCLUSIVE: Vladimir Putin's 'Killer Plague' Sparks Fears of Global Health Crisis
A woman died in Russia from 'pneumonia of unknown etiology.'
Oct. 16 2026, Published 5:28 p.m. ET
Fears of a global health crisis were sparked after a Russian lab researcher died from an infection that allegedly occurred after breaking a test tube containing live pneumonic plague bacteria, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Although Russia's public health agency has appeared to downplay the possibility of her death being linked to the plague, saying that she suffered from "pneumonia of unknown etiology," sources suggested there are concerns the illness could reach the United States and other countries.
Pneumonic Plague Could Be 'Deadlier Than COVID'
Dr. Stuart Fischer suggested the illness could be spread through 'respiratory droplets.'
“The plague is dangerous because no one has resistance to it," internist Dr. Stuart Fischer said in an interview shared with Radar.
"With most illnesses, people eventually get full or partial resistance to it through natural immunity or acquire immunity with vaccines," he continued. "But in a case of a rare bacterial illness that hasn’t been experienced in epidemic form in hundreds of years, NO ONE has the antibodies to fight this serious illness – it can produce an epidemic of Biblical proportions."
He claimed the pneumonic plague "could be spread by respiratory droplets" and had the "potential" to be "deadlier than COVID."
Local Medic Claims 'Something Sinister' Happened at Russian Institute
Darya Shipilova was only 28 years old when she died.
Darya Shipilova, 28, was a working at the Irkutsk AntiPlague Institute in Siberia when she became ill. She died two days after she was taken to the hospital.
While it is unclear exactly what caused her death at this time, nearly 200 people who may have come into contact with her were reportedly put into isolation. There was also a mask mandate put into place in Irkutsk, according to reports.
Sources claim that Vladimir Putin's regime is attempting to minimize the incident.
However, a local said, "The more they reassure us, the more frightening it gets."
Meanwhile, a medic in Irkutsk alleged, "Something sinister has happened in this institute which they cannot admit to."
Donald Trump Responds to Plague Fears
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Donald Trump called it a 'rough disease.'
Following Shipilova's death, the Trump administration spoke out on the incident.
"It's a rough disease. You know, that's a disease we used to be able to control, but somehow those microbes have gotten stronger and smarter," Donald Trump said at the time. "They're like an army.
"Even with great advancement, the germs have really become relatively stronger than they were, and things that used to work on pneumonia don't work as well anymore," he added.
The POTUS also claimed that he had a "call scheduled" with Putin that would be "very soon." The call reportedly happened three days later, but it is unclear exactly what was discussed.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed to reporters that the White House was carefully "monitoring" the situation for the time being.
"There’s very limited travel between the US and Russia, obviously," he noted. "But like anything else, something like that gets out, it could certainly spread."
"So we’re watching and monitoring it closely," he continued. "I don’t think it’s cause for alarm, but it is cause for focus and a cause just to keep an eye on it."
