'They Let Her Die': Mother of Russian Lab Worker Speaks Out Over Daughter's Mysterious Death

Svetlana Shipilova, the mother of a Russian laboratory worker who died after being admitted to hospital with pneumonia, has accused doctors of failing to save her daughter. 'They simply let my daughter die,' she told the Russian outlet Glubina, according to The Sydney Morning Herald. There is no publicly available evidence establishing that medical negligence caused her death.

Darya Shipilova, 28, died overnight on 1–2 October at a hospital in Shelekhov, near Irkutsk, after being admitted on 29 September. She worked at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East. Russia's public-health agency, Rospotrebnadzor, said she had pneumonia of unknown cause and said its investigation found no accident involving pathogenic microorganisms at the institute.

Mother Questions Daughter's Care

'I've saved more than one patient like that, but they didn't save my daughter,' Svetlana said, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

The 64-year-old healthcare worker also disputed reports that her daughter had broken a laboratory test tube. She said the containers were highly protected and rejected the suggestion that Darya had concealed an accident. Her account does not independently establish what happened in the laboratory.

On 2 October, Irkutsk journalist Pavel Stepanov reported, citing his sources, that Darya had allegedly broken a test tube containing material associated with pneumonic plague and concealed the incident. The claim has not been independently established. Rospotrebnadzor subsequently said no accident involving pathogenic microorganisms had occurred at the institute.

Alexei Tsydenov, head of the neighbouring republic of Buryatia, initially referred to a woman who had died of plague, then edited his post to say she had 'possibly' died of plague.

Lyudi Baikala, an independent Siberian outlet, also reported that the Russian newspaper Izvestia published and later removed a story claiming that a criminal case had been opened over an alleged breach of sanitary rules resulting in a death. The available reports do not independently confirm that a case was opened.

On 5 October, Svetlana said she was still waiting for an official document stating her daughter's cause of death, rather than information appearing only in media reports. She also said she did not know when Darya could be buried because she and other relatives remained under observation.

'Who will bury her if we are sitting here in confinement?' she said.

Darya Worked at an Anti-Plague Institute

Darya graduated in medical biochemistry from Irkutsk State Medical University in 2022 and completed a residency in clinical laboratory diagnostics in 2024, according to Lyudi Baikala.

She joined the anti-plague institute in 2022, initially working as a laboratory assistant before later becoming a researcher. The state research institute studies plague and other high-risk infections.

Her employment at the institute does not, by itself, establish that her illness was linked to her work.

Residents Describe Disinfection Visits

Residents of Darya's apartment building on Voronezhskaya Street in Irkutsk told Lyudi Baikala that workers wearing protective equipment arrived at about 10pm on 2 October to disinfect the entrances.

According to one resident, the workers said they had been sent by Rospotrebnadzor and said a young woman had died from a 'deadly virus'. That description was an account of what residents said they were told, not a confirmed diagnosis. Plague is caused by bacteria, not a virus.

Residents described the smell of antiseptic and reported further disinfection visits. One woman said a worker later told her the treatment was for cockroaches, although she said the building had none.

The disinfection measures did not establish which pathogen, if any, caused Darya's illness.

Russia Says Contact Tests Found No Plague

Around 200 potential contacts were reportedly placed under observation. An institute employee told Lyudi Baikala that staff were kept inside for three days, swabbed twice daily and slept on chairs or jackets.

That was an employee's account, rather than an independently verified description of conditions across the institute.

On 7 October, Rospotrebnadzor said nearly 5,000 laboratory tests had found no dangerous pathogens and that no plague cases had been detected among Darya's contacts. The agency said more than 90% of those under observation had been released from monitoring.

An earlier agency statement said two COVID-19 cases and two rhinovirus infections had been identified among contacts.

WHO Requests Further Information

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on 7 October that the organisation had requested further information about Darya's illness, the laboratory tests conducted and their results, and the public-health measures that followed her death.

WHO also sought verification of reports that a second employee had pneumonia of undetermined cause. No second plague case has been confirmed.

Tedros said WHO did not yet have enough information to complete a full risk assessment.

Rospotrebnadzor said it had sent information about the situation to WHO. Available reporting does not establish that the underlying laboratory results had been made public.

The conflicting accounts, official statements and WHO's outstanding questions mean the precise cause of Darya's illness remains unresolved in the publicly available reporting.