President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he does not believe the reported death of a Russian plague-laboratory worker was caused by a biological weapon, and that he has a phone call scheduled with Russian President Vladimir Putin to press Moscow on the incident. The Trump Putin plague call would be the highest-level direct exchange yet over the Irkutsk outbreak scare, which has already prompted the U.S. Embassy in Moscow to tell Americans to leave Russia and drawn calls for transparency from the World Health Organization and the United Nations.
“We don’t think so. We’re going to find out soon enough, but we don’t think so,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday, October 7, when asked whether a bioweapon was involved in the death of 28-year-old Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute lab assistant Daria Shipilova, according to the Bangkok Post’s wire report.
Trump Putin Plague Call: What the President Said in the Oval Office
Trump said Russian officials have insisted the situation is under control — but signaled open skepticism about Moscow’s assurances. “If you listen to them, it’s under control. But you know, people have said that before about other things,” he said. “Well, China didn’t say much, and Russia is not saying much either. But they do say they have it very much under control.”
The China comparison was deliberate: Beijing faced widespread criticism for not disclosing enough about the early spread of COVID-19 after cases emerged in late 2019, during Trump’s first term. Trump said Russia’s secrecy now echoes that pattern, even as he stopped short of accusing Moscow of wrongdoing.
Trump also confirmed that a call with Putin is on the calendar — but would not say when. Notably, the Kremlin told reporters Wednesday that no such arrangement was in place, an apparent contradiction that raises questions about whether the call has been formally agreed. “Today is Vladimir Putin’s birthday,” Trump added — the Russian leader turned 74 on October 7. Trump had first floated the call on Tuesday evening, saying Washington was in “very deep discussions” and would be able to report more information soon, the New York Post reported.
The Irkutsk Case: What Is Known About Daria Shipilova’s Death
Shipilova, a 28-year-old lab technician at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute in Siberia, died on Friday, October 2, after being hospitalized with severe pneumonia. She reportedly fell ill after accidentally breaking a test tube containing biological material days earlier, and may have contracted pneumonic plague — a form of the disease that can spread from person to person through respiration and is almost always fatal without treatment, though it can be treated with common antibiotics.
Russian accounts of the case have conflicted. The head of the Republic of Buryatia, Alexey Tsydenov, confirmed the death on social media last Saturday, while Russia’s Health Ministry later said the 28-year-old woman died of “pneumonia of unknown cause” and ruled out plague among those tested around her. The ministry said the sanitary and epidemiological situation in the Irkutsk region is calm, and the Kremlin warned against the spread of “false” information — including reports of a second death.
Up to 200 people who may have had contact with Shipilova were placed under medical observation, and several countries’ capitals raised the alarm after the death became public earlier this week. The U.S. Embassy in Moscow said Tuesday that “U.S. citizens currently in Russia should depart immediately,” noting that Washington has limited ability to assist Americans in Russia — the development The Nerdy Humourist covered in detail. According to the Herald Corp, the State Department has also sent a formal diplomatic letter to Moscow seeking information.
Transparency Demands: WHO, UN and Rubio Press Moscow
The World Health Organization, which is in contact with Russian authorities, has offered support and currently assesses the risk to the general public as low based on the information available. The WHO and the United Nations have both urged Russia to be more transparent about the incident.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also pressed Moscow to share details about the worker’s death and the country’s elevated response. Moscow has denied it is imposing anti-plague measures while simultaneously insisting the situation is under control — a posture that has done little to settle the conflicting reports coming out of Irkutsk.
Trump’s “we don’t think so” is the first definitive statement from the White House on the bioweapon question, though he left the door open to reassessment: “We’re going to find out soon enough.” Whether the planned Putin call produces the transparency Washington is demanding — or even happens on the timeline Trump described — remains unconfirmed.
FAQ
What did Trump say about the Russia plague death?
On October 7 in the Oval Office, Trump said he does not believe the death of Irkutsk lab worker Daria Shipilova was linked to a bioweapon: “We don’t think so. We’re going to find out soon enough, but we don’t think so.” He said Russia claims the situation is under control but expressed caution about those assurances.
Is Trump planning a call with Putin about the plague scare?
Trump said a call with Vladimir Putin is scheduled and mentioned it was Putin’s 74th birthday, but declined to say when the call would take place. The Kremlin said Wednesday that no such arrangement was in place, so the timing remains unconfirmed.
What happened in Irkutsk?
Daria Shipilova, a 28-year-old technician at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute, died October 2 of pneumonia of unknown cause after reportedly breaking a test tube containing biological material. Russia’s Health Ministry ruled out plague, but up to 200 contacts were quarantined and several governments raised alarms.
What is the WHO’s assessment?
The WHO, which is in contact with Russian authorities and has offered support, currently assesses the risk to the general public as low based on available information, while urging Moscow to be more transparent.
Sources: Bangkok Post, TRT World, New York Post, The Nerdy Humourist — US urges Americans to leave Russia
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