Siberian plague lab death shows why Moscow can’t be trusted
The possible leak of a pathogen from a Russian laboratory in Siberia has caused global alarm. A 28-year-old employee of Irkutsk Research Anti-Plague Institute died Friday of pneumonia. But while this incident appears contained, the fact that it took place in Russia is concerning in and of itself.
TL;DR
- A 28-year-old employee at the Irkutsk Research Anti-Plague Institute in Siberia died of pneumonia, raising concerns about a possible pathogen leak.
- Russian authorities have been accused of deception, initially linking the death to the pneumonic plague before backtracking and insisting no link to the employee's work.
- The incident is concerning due to Russia's history of pathological deceptiveness regarding biological threats and its alleged involvement in bioweapons research.
- The article suggests that Russia's silence may be an effort to hide poor lab safeguards or potential violations of the Biological Weapons Convention.
- The text also references Russia's past breaches of chemical and nuclear weapons treaties and its development of a space-based nuclear weapons system.
- The article concludes that Russia cannot be trusted on issues related to weapons of mass destruction due to a consistent pattern of actions contradicting its treaty obligations and public statements.