The mother of the Russian scientist who died in a suspected plague outbreak in Siberia denies the reports that her daughter was infected after breaking a test tube — and instead suggested Russian officials “simply let my daughter die.”
Daria Shipilova, 28, had been working at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East when she fell ill and died in the hospital on Oct. 2 after reportedly dropping a test tube containing the deadly pathogen.
However, her mother Svetlana Shipilova, a medical professional, told Russian outlet Glubina that she was not buying that narrative, claiming it’s simply impossible to break a test tube and insisting she knows “the truth,” the Telegraph reported.
“I know the truth,” she said. “I’m having to fend off stupid acquaintances who believed all this – the clever ones didn’t believe it, of course.
“Not even all medical professionals understand it’s impossible to break a test tube like that,” she continued. “Even if you fling it at the wall. Only an amateur could say something like that.
“Even hypothetically, you simply can’t spill what’s inside or break the tube – they’re that well protected,” she insisted.
“They simply let my daughter die.”
Russian officials have remained unnervingly quiet regarding the circumstances under which Daria Shipilova had become infected with pneumonic plague, despite reports she was exposed in a lab mishap.
As a result of her death, hundreds who had come into contact with her were placed under quarantine. Moscow has only confirmed that she died of “pneumonia of unknown origin” — but experts are now questioning whether the strain of plague that killed her could have been modified as a potential bioweapon.
“If she was working in a plague lab and had an accident, there would have been a protocol for her to go on antibiotics,” Former CDC Director Robert Redfield told NewsNation on Tuesday.
“Now, if the plague that she was working with had been manipulated to not be sensitive to antibiotics … that would explain why maybe they didn’t work.”
President Trump, meanwhile, downplayed the possibility that the scientist died from a biological weapon, saying Wednesday that “we don’t think so” but that “we’re going to find out soon enough.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that Russia reported the incident to the World Health Organization and followed international protocol — accusing the media of pushing false information about the case.
The World Health Organization and the United States are pushing Moscow to provide greater transparency about the incident.
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