"For those who don't get it: in Irkutsk, a lab technician broke a flask containing the plague virus and became infected with the disease, dying a few days later," a user posted on X in Russian.

Rating

DW Fact check: Unproven There is no independent evidence confirming that a leak of the plague pathogen occurred at the Irkutsk Antiplague Research Institute of Siberia and Far East.

Reviewed by Deutsche Welle ↗ · October 6, 2026