An unqualified claim of death from plague spread abroad without a public medical conclusion

The story appeared as early as October 2 at DW (Deutsche Welle), Germany’s international broadcaster, and the Belarusian outlet Belmarket. The German broadcaster’s early article relayed Russian reports, including remarks by Buryatia’s leader Alexey Tsydenov.

The headline’s categorical reference to death from plague was not accompanied by a published medical conclusion. It is therefore treated as wording in a particular publication, rather than an established diagnosis.

These are among the early Russian-language reports found outside Russia. Absolute precedence has not been established: a complete history of the first Telegram posts and all republications is unavailable. The Russian agency later named a different diagnosis.