# Ex-CIA officer warns Russian bio-leak secrecy follows Chernobyl playbook

https://mins.news/en/item/87228

- Fox News, 2026-10-06 00:32 UTC
- World
- Original: https://www.foxnews.com/world/russian-bio-leak-secrecy-follows-chernobyl-playbook-ex-cia-officer-warns

> The death of Darya Shipilova, a 28-year-old employee of Siberia’s Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute, after pneumonia of unknown origin has fueled fears of a pneumonic plague outbreak. Russian authorities say tests found no pathogens connected to her work. Retired CIA officer Dan Hoffman argues that Moscow’s tight control of sensitive information, echoing the Chernobyl-era blackout, leaves outsiders reliant on intelligence rather than public claims.

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