Daria Shipilova’s Mother Challenges Account of Suspected Plague Lab Death
Published 02:33 7 Oct 2026 GMT+1
Daria's mother disputes the Russian account of how her daughter died, insisting she was 'no amateur'
The mother of a Russian lab worker who died after a suspected pneumonic plague infection has spoken out to say authorities ‘let her daughter die.’
Victim Daria Shipilova’s mother, Svetlana, told Russian media she and other family members remain in lockdown so are unable to bury the 28-year-old, reports The Sun.
Svetlana, who is herself a medic, accused those responsible for her daughter’s treatment of ‘abandoning’ her.
She is reported to have said, “I’ve saved plenty of patients, yet they couldn’t save my daughter. They simply let my daughter die.
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Russian media claims the victim died after breaking a test tube
“I’m waiting for it to become official. It has to be an official document. It’s very hard for me right now. This whole spectacle drags on.”
Russian media reported that Daria died after a test tube broke while she was working in a lab in Irkutsk, Siberia, although her mother disputes this.
She is thought to have been studying bacteria called Yersinia pestis, which killed millions during the Middle Ages.
Daria was reportedly part of an expedition in Buryatia, on Russia’s border with Mongolia – where she studied plague-infested squirrels.
The researcher died of what officials have termed ‘pneumonia of unknown aetiology’.
Russia has seen cases of the plague (Getty Stock Images)
According to France 24, the governor of the Irkutsk region denied anyone died as a result of working with dangerous pathogens, and there have been few details released over how Daria passed away.
Officials were quick, however, to place several hospitals and almost 200 people into a strict quarantine lockdown after reports of her death.
The World Health Organisation has responded to the death by asking Russia for updates.
US President Donald Trump has offered to help Russia, warning that the plague is ‘stronger and smarter’ than current vaccines.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said America would be “watching and monitoring it closely”.
Shipilova worked as a lab technician at a plague research institute in Irkutsk, Siberia. (CNN)
He said: “There’s very limited travel between the US and Russia, obviously.
“But like anything else, something like that gets out and could quickly spread. So we’re watching and monitoring it closely.”
Daria’s mother insisted her daughter would not have broken a test tube.
“Only an amateur would say something like that,” she said.
“It’s simply impossible to spill or break it. They are so heavily protected.”
Asked about the lack of a funeral, she said: “Who is going to bury her if we are sitting here imprisoned?
“She was such a hard worker. A pure, truly pure soul. It is very difficult to get a job there at Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute.
“They destroyed my daughter – abandoned her and destroyed her.”
Featured Image Credit: (Getty)
Topics: Russia
