Glenn Corn, a former CIA officer, told News Media that Russia’s long record of deception makes the Kremlin’s explanation difficult to accept as authorities investigate a possible disease outbreak after a 28-year-old researcher died at a facility holding dangerous pathogens.
Darya Shipilova worked at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East. She fell ill toward the end of September.
Unverified claims that Shipilova had died from pneumonic plague spread rapidly across social media. Russian officials rejected those reports, saying she died on Oct. 2 from “pneumonia of unknown etiology.” Authorities also said testing found no evidence that she had contracted a pathogen from the research facility.
Even so, Russia’s handling of previous national crises has left Corn and other observers skeptical of the official account.
Glenn Corn attends a discussion organized by the Kyiv Security Forum in Kyiv, Ukraine, on April 3, 2026. (Yuliia Ovsiannikova/Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
“That is the challenge, because Russia has the history of the ‘boy who cried wolf’ syndrome,” said Corn, a professor at the Institute of World Politics, a graduate school in Washington, D.C. “They have this history of being deceitful. It’s very hard to believe what they’re saying.”
Corn, who speaks fluent Russian and spent more than two decades overseas during his intelligence career, cited several cases involving alleged Russian coverups. Among them was the 1979 anthrax outbreak in the Soviet city of Sverdlovsk, now known as Yekaterinburg, which killed at least 64 people.
For years, Soviet authorities said the victims had contracted intestinal anthrax from contaminated meat, according to PBS’ “Frontline.” The explanation remained in place until 1992, when President Boris Yeltsin acknowledged that the illnesses had been caused by military activity at a nearby biological weapons facility.
Corn said that pattern of concealment has continued under President Vladimir Putin’s government.
Darya Shipilova, 28, an employee of the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East, died after developing pneumonia of an unknown cause, prompting quarantines and heightened health precautions in the region. Russian authorities say testing has found no evidence her illness was linked to pathogens she worked with. (East2West news)
He also cited the Kremlin’s former denials of any connection to the Wagner mercenary group. The group’s ambiguous relationship with the Russian state enabled its fighters to pursue Moscow’s interests abroad while officials retained plausible deniability. Putin later conceded that Wagner had been financed entirely by the Russian government.
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“This goes to the strategic culture of leadership in Russia … and their fear of the rest of the world, and their belief that they have to deceive everybody because everybody is deceiving them,” Corn said.
Corn said similar efforts to control the narrative can be seen in China, which remains governed by the Communist Party. Modern Russia, he added, inherited many institutions and governing habits from the communist Soviet Union.
China, for instance, faced intense criticism during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic over allegations that it withheld or delayed crucial information about the emerging virus. The pandemic has since been linked to more than 7 million deaths worldwide.
Workers in protective uniforms conduct testing in Russia amid heightened precautions following the death of an employee at a Siberian anti-plague research institute. (Khuvsguliinungu.mn/e2w)
“In both systems, people are disincentivized to tell the truth when there’s a bad story,” Corn said. “Nobody wants to actually say that we have a real problem and we need to deal with it because they’re afraid that it will cost them their jobs, their lives, their freedom.”
Given that history, Corn said U.S. officials should not rely solely on Moscow’s statements about Shipilova’s death. Instead, they should independently assess the claims and watch closely for evidence of a broader outbreak.
There is currently no indication that Shipilova’s illness has spread. Russia’s health watchdog said Tuesday that 60% of the approximately 200 people quarantined after possible contact with her had been released. The agency also said no cases of plague had been identified.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin chairs a Security Council meeting via videolink in Moscow on Oct. 7, 2026. (Vyacheslav Prokofyev/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
The World Health Organization said Tuesday that the incident posed a “very low” risk beyond Russia, The Associated Press reported.
That same day, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on social media that the global health agency is in contact with Russian health authorities and has requested more information “to clarify the cause of the severe pneumonia” that killed Shipilova.
President Donald Trump also told reporters on Tuesday that he has a call scheduled with Putin about the case “very soon,” adding that the U.S. is already in “very deep discussions” with Russia.