The Story

Is Russia covering up a plague outbreak?

October 9, 2026·31 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

In Siberia last week, a Russian researcher working at an institute specialising in dangerous infectious diseases is believed to have died of unexplained pneumonia. Local media suggested it was pneumonic plague; the Kremlin continues to obfuscate. So what’s really happening? With its history of cover ups, can we trust what Russia is telling the world? And how worried should we be?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryGuests:Rhys Blakely, science editor, The Times.Marc Bennetts, foreign correspondent, The Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Producer: Olivia Case.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: Russia denies a plague outbreak. Its history of coverups is less reassuringFurther listening: Is Spain’s PM next for eviction?Clips: The 2nd militarised fire department of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the 6th paramilitary fire and rescue unit at Chernobyl, Dark Docs / YouTube, BBC, ABC, Настоящее Время, KGWNews8, CNN.Photo: Getty Images.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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