Officials say 'pneumonia of unknown etiology' killed an Irkutsk plague-lab worker; local media say probable plague
Darya Shipilova, 28, a laboratory assistant at Irkutsk's anti-plague institute, died on the night of 2 October. Rospotrebnadzor and the governor say her tests showed nothing linked to her work. Local media, cited by two outlets, describe a probable outbreak of pneumonic plague and widening quarantine.
The death. Novaya Gazeta Europe reports that Darya Shipilova, 28, a laboratory assistant at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute, died in Shelekhov district hospital on the night of 2 October. Kyiv Post also names her.
Two accounts.
| Officials | Local media, as cited | |
|---|---|---|
| Cause | "pneumonia of unknown etiology" (Rospotrebnadzor) | probable pneumonic plague |
| Her tests | no organisms linked to her work (Governor Igor Kobzev) | not addressed |
| Situation | "stable" (Kobzev); "under control" (officials, per Kyiv Post) | quarantine widened |
| Lab accident | not addressed | she broke a tube holding the plague pathogen on 25 September (Lyudi Baikala) |
The shift. Novaya Gazeta Europe says in its own voice that officials and loyal media first spoke of plague. "Then the authorities began to deny plague." Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told people to follow the health agency and not trust rumours.
Quarantine. Novaya Gazeta Europe lists restrictions at Clinical Hospitals No. 1, 3 and 10, a children's hospital and Shelekhov's hospital. Kyiv Post says quarantine was expanded. Neither report carries an official confirmation.
Beyond Russia. The Insider's headline says Russian media are deleting coverage and Central Asian states are adding border health checks. We hold only the headline, not the text.
What is not settled. - What killed her. The reports we hold carry no published test result. - Whether the 25 September accident happened. One local outlet is the only source. - Which hospitals are under quarantine, and why. - Which Central Asian states acted, and which articles were deleted.
What this is about. A young laboratory worker at a Russian institute that studies plague has died. The authorities and local journalists disagree about what killed her.
The place. Irkutsk is a regional capital in eastern Siberia, near Lake Baikal. Shelekhov is a town just outside it. The Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute is a state research body. It watches the natural reservoirs of plague in Siberia and the Russian Far East, where the disease still lives in wild rodents. Its staff handle live samples of the bacterium.
The disease. Plague is a bacterial infection. Its pneumonic form, in the lungs, can pass from person to person through the air. Without quick antibiotics it is usually fatal. That is why a suspected case brings quarantine, and why a lab accident would matter.
The actors. - Rospotrebnadzor is Russia's federal health and sanitary watchdog. It runs the anti-plague institutes and speaks for the state on outbreaks. - Igor Kobzev is the governor of Irkutsk region. - Dmitry Peskov is the Kremlin's spokesman. - Lyudi Baikala is an independent Irkutsk outlet. Much of the detail other outlets carry comes from it. - Central Asian states share long borders and heavy labour migration with Russia, so an outbreak in Siberia concerns them too.
Why the disagreement matters. Since 2020, Russian law has punished spreading what officials call false information about public emergencies. Independent reporting inside Russia is tightly restricted, and many outlets now work from exile. When the official account and the local one differ, readers outside the region often cannot check either.
What is at stake. If it was plague, the questions are how a lab exposure happened and whether anyone else was infected. If it was not, the quarantine and border checks are precautions against a rumour.
Where it stands. On 5 October the governor said no other institute staff had gone to doctors and the situation was stable. The reports we hold carry no published test results.
What is being argued about
- What killed Darya Shipilova: plague or 'pneumonia of unknown etiology'
- Whether a test tube holding the plague pathogen broke in the lab on 25 September
- How far quarantine has spread across Irkutsk hospitals
- Whether Russian media are deleting coverage, and which neighbours are tightening border checks
Three reports, one deathSide by side
| Outlet | Cause of death as carried | Names her? | Hedged? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Novaya Gazeta Europe | Officials: 'pneumonia of unknown etiology'. Journalists: possibly pneumonic plague. Says in its own voice that officials then began to deny plague. | Yes, with age and post | Officials and local media both attributed; the shift stated flat |
| Kyiv Post | Local media: 'a probable outbreak'. Officials deny plague caused her death. | Yes | Both sides attributed; the lab accident called 'reported' |
| The Insider | Headline: authorities deny a plague outbreak; media delete coverage. | Not in the headline | Deletions stated flat; we hold no text behind them |
We hold The Insider's report as a headline only.
Sources
N
Novaya Gazeta Europe
Глава Иркутской области отрицает, что лаборантка противочумного НИИ умерла от чумы
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What we have measured
Actor named Names Russia as the actor in the headline and in the first line. ×1Anonymous source asserts The report's strongest claim, that results were falsified across most regions, comes from a source it does not name ×1Anonymous sourcing Everything rests on a foreign newspaper citing two unnamed diplomats. ×1A party's label carried inside a quote, unmarked the Kremlin spokesman's phrase for the Ukrainian government is reproduced without a note ×1
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Kyiv Post
Russian Authorities Won’t Confirm Pneumonic Plague Outbreak in Central Siberia
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What we have measured
A capital city stands in for a ministry the source of the 500,000 figure is a metonym, not a named institution or report ×1Actor named Russia is the active subject of the headline ×1Actor named the drone is identified as Russian, and a child is counted among the injured ×1Actor named Russia is named as the actor, and the report notes a child among the injured. ×1
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The Insider
Власти России отрицают вспышку чумы, а СМИ удаляют публикации о заболевании. Страны Центральной Азии вводят санитарный контроль на границе
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at The Insider →
What we have measured
Absolute figure The only report that gives the amount in roubles ×1Absolute figure given gives the total in roubles, which lets a reader check the percentage ×1A closed door exchange reported flat a refusal inside a private meeting is asserted in the headline with no source named in the text we hold ×1Actor named The headline names the president as the one who acted, and adds the plant's profit and the new manager's family tie ×1
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Centre
estimate · not a score
Novaya Gazeta Europe
🇱🇻LV ·
newspaper · exile
Глава Иркутской области отрицает, что лаборантка противочумного НИИ умерла от чумы
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at Novaya Gazeta Europe →
What we have measured
Actor named Names Russia as the actor in the headline and in the first line. ×1Anonymous source asserts The report's strongest claim, that results were falsified across most regions, comes from a source it does not name ×1Anonymous sourcing Everything rests on a foreign newspaper citing two unnamed diplomats. ×1A party's label carried inside a quote, unmarked the Kremlin spokesman's phrase for the Ukrainian government is reproduced without a note ×1
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Kyiv Post
Centre-right
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Kyiv Post
🇺🇦UA ·
digital ·
Russian Authorities Won’t Confirm Pneumonic Plague Outbreak in Central Siberia
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at Kyiv Post →
What we have measured
A capital city stands in for a ministry the source of the 500,000 figure is a metonym, not a named institution or report ×1Actor named Russia is the active subject of the headline ×1Actor named the drone is identified as Russian, and a child is counted among the injured ×1Actor named Russia is named as the actor, and the report notes a child among the injured. ×1
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The Insider
Centre-left
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The Insider
🇷🇺RU ·
digital · exile
Власти России отрицают вспышку чумы, а СМИ удаляют публикации о заболевании. Страны Центральной Азии вводят санитарный контроль на границе
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at The Insider →
What we have measured
Absolute figure The only report that gives the amount in roubles ×1Absolute figure given gives the total in roubles, which lets a reader check the percentage ×1A closed door exchange reported flat a refusal inside a private meeting is asserted in the headline with no source named in the text we hold ×1Actor named The headline names the president as the one who acted, and adds the plant's profit and the new manager's family tie ×1
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From a broken test tube to a denialTimeline
- 2026-09-25— no time published Lyudi Baikala, via Novaya Gazeta Europe Shipilova breaks a test tube holding the plague pathogen in the labWe hold no official account of an accident
- 2026-10-02— no time published; 'night of 2 October' Novaya Gazeta Europe Darya Shipilova, 28, dies in Shelekhov district hospital
- 2026-10-04— no time published Rospotrebnadzor Says she died of 'pneumonia of unknown etiology'The same day, restrictions reported at several Irkutsk hospitals
- 2026-10-0511:56 UTC The Insider's publication time The Insider Headline: authorities deny an outbreak, media delete coverage, Central Asia adds border checks
- 2026-10-0512:54 UTC Kyiv Post's publication time Kyiv Post Quarantine expanded; local media call it a probable outbreak
- 2026-10-0513:34 UTC Novaya Gazeta Europe's publication time Governor Igor Kobzev Her tests showed no organisms linked to her work; situation 'stable'Reported by Novaya Gazeta Europe
Dates as the reports give them. The 25 September accident rests on one local outlet.
Sources
N
Novaya Gazeta Europe
Глава Иркутской области отрицает, что лаборантка противочумного НИИ умерла от чумы
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at Novaya Gazeta Europe →
What we have measured
Actor named Names Russia as the actor in the headline and in the first line. ×1Anonymous source asserts The report's strongest claim, that results were falsified across most regions, comes from a source it does not name ×1Anonymous sourcing Everything rests on a foreign newspaper citing two unnamed diplomats. ×1A party's label carried inside a quote, unmarked the Kremlin spokesman's phrase for the Ukrainian government is reproduced without a note ×1
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K
Kyiv Post
Russian Authorities Won’t Confirm Pneumonic Plague Outbreak in Central Siberia
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at Kyiv Post →
What we have measured
A capital city stands in for a ministry the source of the 500,000 figure is a metonym, not a named institution or report ×1Actor named Russia is the active subject of the headline ×1Actor named the drone is identified as Russian, and a child is counted among the injured ×1Actor named Russia is named as the actor, and the report notes a child among the injured. ×1
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T
The Insider
Власти России отрицают вспышку чумы, а СМИ удаляют публикации о заболевании. Страны Центральной Азии вводят санитарный контроль на границе
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at The Insider →
What we have measured
Absolute figure The only report that gives the amount in roubles ×1Absolute figure given gives the total in roubles, which lets a reader check the percentage ×1A closed door exchange reported flat a refusal inside a private meeting is asserted in the headline with no source named in the text we hold ×1Actor named The headline names the president as the one who acted, and adds the plant's profit and the new manager's family tie ×1
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Centre
estimate · not a score
Novaya Gazeta Europe
🇱🇻LV ·
newspaper · exile
Глава Иркутской области отрицает, что лаборантка противочумного НИИ умерла от чумы
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at Novaya Gazeta Europe →
What we have measured
Actor named Names Russia as the actor in the headline and in the first line. ×1Anonymous source asserts The report's strongest claim, that results were falsified across most regions, comes from a source it does not name ×1Anonymous sourcing Everything rests on a foreign newspaper citing two unnamed diplomats. ×1A party's label carried inside a quote, unmarked the Kremlin spokesman's phrase for the Ukrainian government is reproduced without a note ×1
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K
Kyiv Post
Centre-right
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Kyiv Post
🇺🇦UA ·
digital ·
Russian Authorities Won’t Confirm Pneumonic Plague Outbreak in Central Siberia
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at Kyiv Post →
What we have measured
A capital city stands in for a ministry the source of the 500,000 figure is a metonym, not a named institution or report ×1Actor named Russia is the active subject of the headline ×1Actor named the drone is identified as Russian, and a child is counted among the injured ×1Actor named Russia is named as the actor, and the report notes a child among the injured. ×1
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T
The Insider
Centre-left
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The Insider
🇷🇺RU ·
digital · exile
Власти России отрицают вспышку чумы, а СМИ удаляют публикации о заболевании. Страны Центральной Азии вводят санитарный контроль на границе
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at The Insider →
What we have measured
Absolute figure The only report that gives the amount in roubles ×1Absolute figure given gives the total in roubles, which lets a reader check the percentage ×1A closed door exchange reported flat a refusal inside a private meeting is asserted in the headline with no source named in the text we hold ×1Actor named The headline names the president as the one who acted, and adds the plant's profit and the new manager's family tie ×1
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The bias in this coverageBias
The denial is carried everywhere. The disease is not named
All three reports carry the official denial. Two name the dead researcher, and both put the plague account in the mouths of journalists or local media. Only one names an official who spoke.
3 reports carrying the official denial
2 reports naming the dead woman
1 reports naming an official who spoke
Scored without the mastheads. Where the two passes differ, both are kept.
Sources
N
Novaya Gazeta Europe
Глава Иркутской области отрицает, что лаборантка противочумного НИИ умерла от чумы
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at Novaya Gazeta Europe →
What we have measured
Actor named Names Russia as the actor in the headline and in the first line. ×1Anonymous source asserts The report's strongest claim, that results were falsified across most regions, comes from a source it does not name ×1Anonymous sourcing Everything rests on a foreign newspaper citing two unnamed diplomats. ×1A party's label carried inside a quote, unmarked the Kremlin spokesman's phrase for the Ukrainian government is reproduced without a note ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
K
Kyiv Post
Russian Authorities Won’t Confirm Pneumonic Plague Outbreak in Central Siberia
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at Kyiv Post →
What we have measured
A capital city stands in for a ministry the source of the 500,000 figure is a metonym, not a named institution or report ×1Actor named Russia is the active subject of the headline ×1Actor named the drone is identified as Russian, and a child is counted among the injured ×1Actor named Russia is named as the actor, and the report notes a child among the injured. ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
T
The Insider
Власти России отрицают вспышку чумы, а СМИ удаляют публикации о заболевании. Страны Центральной Азии вводят санитарный контроль на границе
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at The Insider →
What we have measured
Absolute figure The only report that gives the amount in roubles ×1Absolute figure given gives the total in roubles, which lets a reader check the percentage ×1A closed door exchange reported flat a refusal inside a private meeting is asserted in the headline with no source named in the text we hold ×1Actor named The headline names the president as the one who acted, and adds the plant's profit and the new manager's family tie ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
Centre
estimate · not a score
Novaya Gazeta Europe
🇱🇻LV ·
newspaper · exile
Глава Иркутской области отрицает, что лаборантка противочумного НИИ умерла от чумы
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at Novaya Gazeta Europe →
What we have measured
Actor named Names Russia as the actor in the headline and in the first line. ×1Anonymous source asserts The report's strongest claim, that results were falsified across most regions, comes from a source it does not name ×1Anonymous sourcing Everything rests on a foreign newspaper citing two unnamed diplomats. ×1A party's label carried inside a quote, unmarked the Kremlin spokesman's phrase for the Ukrainian government is reproduced without a note ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
K
Kyiv Post
Centre-right
estimate · not a score
Kyiv Post
🇺🇦UA ·
digital ·
Russian Authorities Won’t Confirm Pneumonic Plague Outbreak in Central Siberia
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at Kyiv Post →
What we have measured
A capital city stands in for a ministry the source of the 500,000 figure is a metonym, not a named institution or report ×1Actor named Russia is the active subject of the headline ×1Actor named the drone is identified as Russian, and a child is counted among the injured ×1Actor named Russia is named as the actor, and the report notes a child among the injured. ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
T
The Insider
Centre-left
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The Insider
🇷🇺RU ·
digital · exile
Власти России отрицают вспышку чумы, а СМИ удаляют публикации о заболевании. Страны Центральной Азии вводят санитарный контроль на границе
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at The Insider →
What we have measured
Absolute figure The only report that gives the amount in roubles ×1Absolute figure given gives the total in roubles, which lets a reader check the percentage ×1A closed door exchange reported flat a refusal inside a private meeting is asserted in the headline with no source named in the text we hold ×1Actor named The headline names the president as the one who acted, and adds the plant's profit and the new manager's family tie ×1
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Claims and verdicts
unverified
The lab worker broke a test tube containing the plague pathogen on 25 September.
Only Novaya Gazeta Europe carries this, and it credits Lyudi Baikala. Kyiv Post mentions a 'reported laboratory accident' with no detail.
Checked against 2 sources:
N
Novaya Gazeta Europe
Глава Иркутской области отрицает, что лаборантка противочумного НИИ умерла от чумы
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at Novaya Gazeta Europe →
What we have measured
Actor named Names Russia as the actor in the headline and in the first line. ×1Anonymous source asserts The report's strongest claim, that results were falsified across most regions, comes from a source it does not name ×1Anonymous sourcing Everything rests on a foreign newspaper citing two unnamed diplomats. ×1A party's label carried inside a quote, unmarked the Kremlin spokesman's phrase for the Ukrainian government is reproduced without a note ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
K
Kyiv Post
Russian Authorities Won’t Confirm Pneumonic Plague Outbreak in Central Siberia
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at Kyiv Post →
What we have measured
A capital city stands in for a ministry the source of the 500,000 figure is a metonym, not a named institution or report ×1Actor named Russia is the active subject of the headline ×1Actor named the drone is identified as Russian, and a child is counted among the injured ×1Actor named Russia is named as the actor, and the report notes a child among the injured. ×1
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Centre
estimate · not a score
Novaya Gazeta Europe
🇱🇻LV ·
newspaper · exile
Глава Иркутской области отрицает, что лаборантка противочумного НИИ умерла от чумы
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at Novaya Gazeta Europe →
What we have measured
Actor named Names Russia as the actor in the headline and in the first line. ×1Anonymous source asserts The report's strongest claim, that results were falsified across most regions, comes from a source it does not name ×1Anonymous sourcing Everything rests on a foreign newspaper citing two unnamed diplomats. ×1A party's label carried inside a quote, unmarked the Kremlin spokesman's phrase for the Ukrainian government is reproduced without a note ×1
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K
Kyiv Post
Centre-right
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Kyiv Post
🇺🇦UA ·
digital ·
Russian Authorities Won’t Confirm Pneumonic Plague Outbreak in Central Siberia
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at Kyiv Post →
What we have measured
A capital city stands in for a ministry the source of the 500,000 figure is a metonym, not a named institution or report ×1Actor named Russia is the active subject of the headline ×1Actor named the drone is identified as Russian, and a child is counted among the injured ×1Actor named Russia is named as the actor, and the report notes a child among the injured. ×1
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disputed
The Irkutsk anti-plague institute lab worker died of plague.
Novaya Gazeta Europe and Kyiv Post report that Rospotrebnadzor and Governor Igor Kobzev deny it and give the cause as pneumonia of unknown etiology. Both also report that local media, including Lyudi Baikala, describe probable pneumonic plague; The Insider's headline says authorities deny an outbreak.
Checked against 3 sources:
N
Novaya Gazeta Europe
Глава Иркутской области отрицает, что лаборантка противочумного НИИ умерла от чумы
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at Novaya Gazeta Europe →
What we have measured
Actor named Names Russia as the actor in the headline and in the first line. ×1Anonymous source asserts The report's strongest claim, that results were falsified across most regions, comes from a source it does not name ×1Anonymous sourcing Everything rests on a foreign newspaper citing two unnamed diplomats. ×1A party's label carried inside a quote, unmarked the Kremlin spokesman's phrase for the Ukrainian government is reproduced without a note ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
K
Kyiv Post
Russian Authorities Won’t Confirm Pneumonic Plague Outbreak in Central Siberia
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at Kyiv Post →
What we have measured
A capital city stands in for a ministry the source of the 500,000 figure is a metonym, not a named institution or report ×1Actor named Russia is the active subject of the headline ×1Actor named the drone is identified as Russian, and a child is counted among the injured ×1Actor named Russia is named as the actor, and the report notes a child among the injured. ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
T
The Insider
Власти России отрицают вспышку чумы, а СМИ удаляют публикации о заболевании. Страны Центральной Азии вводят санитарный контроль на границе
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at The Insider →
What we have measured
Absolute figure The only report that gives the amount in roubles ×1Absolute figure given gives the total in roubles, which lets a reader check the percentage ×1A closed door exchange reported flat a refusal inside a private meeting is asserted in the headline with no source named in the text we hold ×1Actor named The headline names the president as the one who acted, and adds the plant's profit and the new manager's family tie ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
Centre
estimate · not a score
Novaya Gazeta Europe
🇱🇻LV ·
newspaper · exile
Глава Иркутской области отрицает, что лаборантка противочумного НИИ умерла от чумы
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at Novaya Gazeta Europe →
What we have measured
Actor named Names Russia as the actor in the headline and in the first line. ×1Anonymous source asserts The report's strongest claim, that results were falsified across most regions, comes from a source it does not name ×1Anonymous sourcing Everything rests on a foreign newspaper citing two unnamed diplomats. ×1A party's label carried inside a quote, unmarked the Kremlin spokesman's phrase for the Ukrainian government is reproduced without a note ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
K
Kyiv Post
Centre-right
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Kyiv Post
🇺🇦UA ·
digital ·
Russian Authorities Won’t Confirm Pneumonic Plague Outbreak in Central Siberia
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at Kyiv Post →
What we have measured
A capital city stands in for a ministry the source of the 500,000 figure is a metonym, not a named institution or report ×1Actor named Russia is the active subject of the headline ×1Actor named the drone is identified as Russian, and a child is counted among the injured ×1Actor named Russia is named as the actor, and the report notes a child among the injured. ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
T
The Insider
Centre-left
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The Insider
🇷🇺RU ·
digital · exile
Власти России отрицают вспышку чумы, а СМИ удаляют публикации о заболевании. Страны Центральной Азии вводят санитарный контроль на границе
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at The Insider →
What we have measured
Absolute figure The only report that gives the amount in roubles ×1Absolute figure given gives the total in roubles, which lets a reader check the percentage ×1A closed door exchange reported flat a refusal inside a private meeting is asserted in the headline with no source named in the text we hold ×1Actor named The headline names the president as the one who acted, and adds the plant's profit and the new manager's family tie ×1
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unverified
Quarantine measures have been extended to several Irkutsk hospitals.
Novaya Gazeta Europe names Clinical Hospitals No. 1, 3 and 10, a children's hospital and Shelekhov district hospital, and Kyiv Post reports expanded quarantine. Both appear to rest on Irkutsk local media, and no official confirmation is held.
Checked against 2 sources:
N
Novaya Gazeta Europe
Глава Иркутской области отрицает, что лаборантка противочумного НИИ умерла от чумы
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at Novaya Gazeta Europe →
What we have measured
Actor named Names Russia as the actor in the headline and in the first line. ×1Anonymous source asserts The report's strongest claim, that results were falsified across most regions, comes from a source it does not name ×1Anonymous sourcing Everything rests on a foreign newspaper citing two unnamed diplomats. ×1A party's label carried inside a quote, unmarked the Kremlin spokesman's phrase for the Ukrainian government is reproduced without a note ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
K
Kyiv Post
Russian Authorities Won’t Confirm Pneumonic Plague Outbreak in Central Siberia
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at Kyiv Post →
What we have measured
A capital city stands in for a ministry the source of the 500,000 figure is a metonym, not a named institution or report ×1Actor named Russia is the active subject of the headline ×1Actor named the drone is identified as Russian, and a child is counted among the injured ×1Actor named Russia is named as the actor, and the report notes a child among the injured. ×1
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Centre
estimate · not a score
Novaya Gazeta Europe
🇱🇻LV ·
newspaper · exile
Глава Иркутской области отрицает, что лаборантка противочумного НИИ умерла от чумы
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at Novaya Gazeta Europe →
What we have measured
Actor named Names Russia as the actor in the headline and in the first line. ×1Anonymous source asserts The report's strongest claim, that results were falsified across most regions, comes from a source it does not name ×1Anonymous sourcing Everything rests on a foreign newspaper citing two unnamed diplomats. ×1A party's label carried inside a quote, unmarked the Kremlin spokesman's phrase for the Ukrainian government is reproduced without a note ×1
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K
Kyiv Post
Centre-right
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Kyiv Post
🇺🇦UA ·
digital ·
Russian Authorities Won’t Confirm Pneumonic Plague Outbreak in Central Siberia
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at Kyiv Post →
What we have measured
A capital city stands in for a ministry the source of the 500,000 figure is a metonym, not a named institution or report ×1Actor named Russia is the active subject of the headline ×1Actor named the drone is identified as Russian, and a child is counted among the injured ×1Actor named Russia is named as the actor, and the report notes a child among the injured. ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
Who wrote it
N
Novaya Gazeta. Evropa
Novaya Gazeta Europe
What the bias passes found in their reporting
Actor named
Names Russia as the actor in the headline and in the first line.×1
Anonymous sourcing
Everything rests on a foreign newspaper citing two unnamed diplomats.×1
A party's label carried inside a quote, unmarked
the Kremlin spokesman's phrase for the Ukrainian government is reproduced without a note×1
Asserted not attributed
A commentator predicts the 80% will be fabricated×1
Claims we checked that rest on their reporting
2 misleading2 disputed9 unverified3 true
From 764 reports we hold under this byline, at
Novaya Gazeta Europe. Two independent readings, each made without the masthead, a quote attached to every tag. A record, never a rating.
Their full record →
S
Stefan Korshak
Kyiv Post
What the bias passes found in their reporting
A capital city stands in for a ministry
the source of the 500,000 figure is a metonym, not a named institution or report×1
A multiplier with no source
the doubling of the named count is stated flat, with nobody credited for the estimate×1
Counter named for the hardest number
the only figure built from names has its counters named in the same sentence×1
Counting basis stated before comparison
each figure is labelled as dead, or as killed and wounded, before the two are set side by side×1
Claims we checked that rest on their reporting
1 disputed5 unverified2 true
From 35 reports we hold under this byline, at
Kyiv Post. Two independent readings, each made without the masthead, a quote attached to every tag. A record, never a rating.
Their full record →
The bylines on the reports this story is built from. Hover one for what our passes have measured on their reporting.
· 1 report we hold carries no byline — we do not invent one.
Coverage, outlet by outlet
N
Novaya Gazeta Europe
Глава Иркутской области отрицает, что лаборантка противочумного НИИ умерла от чумы
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Read it at Novaya Gazeta Europe →
What we have measured
Actor named Names Russia as the actor in the headline and in the first line. ×1Anonymous source asserts The report's strongest claim, that results were falsified across most regions, comes from a source it does not name ×1Anonymous sourcing Everything rests on a foreign newspaper citing two unnamed diplomats. ×1A party's label carried inside a quote, unmarked the Kremlin spokesman's phrase for the Ukrainian government is reproduced without a note ×1
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— exile
Centre
estimate · not a score
Novaya Gazeta Europe
🇱🇻LV ·
newspaper · exile
Глава Иркутской области отрицает, что лаборантка противочумного НИИ умерла от чумы
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Read it at Novaya Gazeta Europe →
What we have measured
Actor named Names Russia as the actor in the headline and in the first line. ×1Anonymous source asserts The report's strongest claim, that results were falsified across most regions, comes from a source it does not name ×1Anonymous sourcing Everything rests on a foreign newspaper citing two unnamed diplomats. ×1A party's label carried inside a quote, unmarked the Kremlin spokesman's phrase for the Ukrainian government is reproduced without a note ×1
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— exileThe only report with detail: the governor's account of her tests, Rospotrebnadzor's wording, Peskov's call to ignore rumours, the hospitals under restriction, and the 25 September test tube, credited to Lyudi Baikala.
Заявления властей. Специалисты Роспотребнадзора провели исследования анализов скончавшейся в Иркутске лаборантки противочумного НИИ и не выявили в них микроорганизмов, связанных с ее профессиональной деятельностью. Об этом заявил губернатор Иркутской области Игорь Кобзев. По его словам, за прошедшие дни новых случаев обращения к врачам от сотрудников противочумного института не выявлено. Сейчас санитарно-эпидемиологическая обстановка в Иркутске и Шелеховском районе стабильная, утверждает Кобзев. Накануне в Роспотребнадзоре заявили, что лаборантка умерла из-за «пневмонии неустановленной этиолог
Victim named: dead woman named, with her age and post — “28-летняя лаборантка Иркутского противочумного института Дарья Шипилова”
Official voice quoted: Kremlin spokesman's call to trust the agency and ignore rumours is carried — “призвал</a> ориентироваться на заявления профильного ведомства и не доверять слухам”
Stated flat: says flatly that officials changed their line — “Затем власти стали отрицать чуму.”
The dead named: gives her name, age and job — “28-летняя лаборантка Иркутского противочумного института Дарья Шипилова”
Stated flat: says in its own voice that the authorities changed their account — “Затем власти стали отрицать чуму.”
Official voice: the Kremlin is quoted telling readers to trust the agency and not rumours — “ориентироваться на заявления профильного ведомства и не доверять слухам”
Read it at Novaya Gazeta Europe →
https://novayagazeta.eu/articles/2026/10/05/glava-irkutskoi-oblasti-otr…
K
Kyiv Post
Russian Authorities Won’t Confirm Pneumonic Plague Outbreak in Central Siberia
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Read it at Kyiv Post →
What we have measured
A capital city stands in for a ministry the source of the 500,000 figure is a metonym, not a named institution or report ×1Actor named Russia is the active subject of the headline ×1Actor named the drone is identified as Russian, and a child is counted among the injured ×1Actor named Russia is named as the actor, and the report notes a child among the injured. ×1
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—
Centre-right
estimate · not a score
Kyiv Post
🇺🇦UA ·
digital ·
Russian Authorities Won’t Confirm Pneumonic Plague Outbreak in Central Siberia
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Read it at Kyiv Post →
What we have measured
A capital city stands in for a ministry the source of the 500,000 figure is a metonym, not a named institution or report ×1Actor named Russia is the active subject of the headline ×1Actor named the drone is identified as Russian, and a child is counted among the injured ×1Actor named Russia is named as the actor, and the report notes a child among the injured. ×1
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— Sets local media's 'probable outbreak' beside the officials' denial and attributes both; says quarantine was expanded.
In brief: Authorities in Russia’s Irkutsk region have expanded quarantine measures after the death of researcher Darya Shipilova following a reported laboratory accident involving pneumonic plague. Local media describe the incident as a probable outbreak, while Russian officials deny that plague caused her death and say the situation is under control. Make us preferred on Google Flip Share Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn Bluesky Email Copy Copied (Illustrative image by Depositphotos) Content Share Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn Bluesky Email Copy Copied Flip Make us preferred on Google On Monday,
Headline framing: headline frames the official line as a refusal to confirm, not as a denial — “Russian Authorities Won’t Confirm Pneumonic Plague Outbreak in Central Siberia”
Hedge: links the lab accident to pneumonic plague while hedging the accident as 'reported' — “following a reported laboratory accident involving pneumonic plague”
Headline framing: the headline frames the story around what officials will not say — “Russian Authorities Won’t Confirm Pneumonic Plague Outbreak in Central Siberia”
Hedged on both sides: local media's 'probable outbreak' set against the officials' denial, each attributed — “Local media describe the incident as a probable outbreak, while Russian officials deny that plague caused her death”
Read it at Kyiv Post →
https://www.kyivpost.com/post/86148
T
The Insider
Власти России отрицают вспышку чумы, а СМИ удаляют публикации о заболевании. Страны Центральной Азии вводят санитарный контроль на границе
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What we have measured
Absolute figure The only report that gives the amount in roubles ×1Absolute figure given gives the total in roubles, which lets a reader check the percentage ×1A closed door exchange reported flat a refusal inside a private meeting is asserted in the headline with no source named in the text we hold ×1Actor named The headline names the president as the one who acted, and adds the plant's profit and the new manager's family tie ×1
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— exile
Centre-left
estimate · not a score
The Insider
🇷🇺RU ·
digital · exile
Власти России отрицают вспышку чумы, а СМИ удаляют публикации о заболевании. Страны Центральной Азии вводят санитарный контроль на границе
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at The Insider →
What we have measured
Absolute figure The only report that gives the amount in roubles ×1Absolute figure given gives the total in roubles, which lets a reader check the percentage ×1A closed door exchange reported flat a refusal inside a private meeting is asserted in the headline with no source named in the text we hold ×1Actor named The headline names the president as the one who acted, and adds the plant's profit and the new manager's family tie ×1
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— exileHeadline only: says Russian media are deleting coverage of the illness and Central Asian states are bringing in border health checks.
Пресс-секретарь президента России Дмитрий Песков потребовал в беседе с журналистами «ориентироваться на официальные заявления Роспотребнадзора» по эпидемиологической ситуации в Иркутской области. Об этом сообщило госагентство ТАСС. Ранее в ведомстве назвали «стабильной» обстановку в регионе и заверили, что сотрудница Иркутского противочумного института Сибири и Дальнего Востока умерла не от чумы, а от «пневмонии неустановленной этиологии». На фоне этих заявлений властей российские СМИ удаляют сообщения о подозрении на чуму в Иркутской области. Страны Центральной Азии — Узбекистан, Кыргызстан и
Claim stated flat: says without attribution that the media are deleting coverage — “а СМИ удаляют публикации о заболевании”
Claim with no body: the headline says the media are deleting coverage; the report carries no text to support it — “а СМИ удаляют публикации о заболевании”
Read it at The Insider →
https://theins.ru/news/297905
Checked, didn’t cover
M
Meduza
Centre
estimate · not a score
Meduza
🇱🇻LV ·
digital · exile
What we have measured
Agenda given without a verdict the only report that lists what was discussed and stops there ×1Asserted versus attributed figure attributed to the leaders' own declaration ×1Attribution the release is sourced to the leaders' joint declaration ×1Attribution inside the sentence the whole account marked as one leader's telling ×1
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R
RIA Novosti
State / loyalist
estimate · not a score
RIA Novosti
🇷🇺RU ·
state agency · state-controlled
What we have measured
Actor named no attacker named; the channels only 'said' there were failures ×1Actor named the outage is reported with no actor named ×1Actor named 'the West' is named as acting, attributed to the foreign ministry spokeswoman ×1Actor named headline names Ukraine's armed forces as the attacker ×1
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T
The Moscow Times
Centre
estimate · not a score
The Moscow Times
🇳🇱NL ·
newspaper · exile
What we have measured
Asserted vs attributed Repeats a two-sided deal on one side's word; the second party's silence is not mentioned. ×1Asserted vs attributed headline states the nuclear warning flat, with no source ×1Attributed justification Russia's justification is carried in quotation marks and attributed. No Ukrainian response is given. ×1Attribution Attributes the threat to Moscow and repeats the ministry's list of targets unchallenged. ×1
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S
Suspilne
Centre
estimate · not a score
Suspilne
🇺🇦UA ·
public broadcaster · public-service
What we have measured
Actor label Names the attacker as 'the Russian army' and gives the date ×1Actor label The Russian side is called 'occupiers' in the headline. ×1Actor named The sentence is given by 'occupiers', so the actor is named and labelled. ×1Actor named hurt aged On the other side of the Dnipro, the Russian drone is named as the actor and the wounded man is given an age, not a name. The vote is called 'pseudo-elections' in the report's own voice. ×1
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U
Ukrainska Pravda
Centre
estimate · not a score
Ukrainska Pravda
🇺🇦UA ·
digital · independent
What we have measured
Actor named shortages are described with no one named as causing them ×1Actor named The cancellation is pinned on a named Hungarian official's refusal. ×1Actor named The town is called 'occupied', but the lede does not name who occupies it or who blocks aid. ×1Actor named Names the EU and partners as the ones paying ×1
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I
Interfax
Centre
estimate · not a score
Interfax
🇷🇺RU ·
digital ·
What we have measured
A checkable claim passed on unchecked relays the president's statistic about world cities in quotation marks with no check and no counter-voice ×1A denial carried as characterisation press reports are labelled planted, and the label is passed on in the report's own voice ×1Anonymous source The meetings are sourced to unnamed people familiar with the situation. ×1Anyone hurt named or counted injuries described in clinical detail; the man is never named ×1
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U
Ukrinform
State / loyalist
estimate · not a score
Ukrinform
🇺🇦UA ·
digital · state-controlled
What we have measured
Actor named names the occupying force ×1Actor named Names the occupying force but not what residents are fleeing from ×1Actor named No actor is named. The drone is not attributed to anyone. ×1Actor named Names the attacker and what was damaged, and states the halt flat without naming a source. ×1
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M
Mediazona
Centre
estimate · not a score
Mediazona
🇷🇺RU ·
digital · independent
What we have measured
Actor named the Russian army is named as the actor, in active voice ×1A running total, and a collective actor 'two more' implies earlier removals, and the courts act as a plural with no case or plaintiff named ×1Harm counted The only report that counts people hurt, with a floor rather than a figure ×1Harm counted the only report that counts people hurt ×1
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T
TASS
State / loyalist
estimate · not a score
TASS
🇷🇺RU ·
state agency · state-controlled
What we have measured
Accusation carried by a verb of fact 'Noted' presents a Russian diplomat's accusation of terror as an observation. Kyiv gives no response anywhere in the text. ×1Accusation carried unhedged a charge of terror against civilians is introduced with 'noted', which treats it as fact, and nobody answers it ×1Actor named Ukrainian forces are named as acting, in the report's own voice ×1Actor named Names 'the Western community' as the actor, in Putin's words ×1
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Silence is recorded, not inferred — each of these was read when we built this story
and carried nothing on this event.