Russia Urges Calm After Plague Researcher's Death, Responds to US Aid Offer

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has advised against heeding "various rumors" following the death of a lab technician at a Siberian plague research center. Peskov stated that official information should come solely from Russia's public health watchdog, which attributed the technician's death to pneumonia of unknown origin.

The United States has indicated it is "watching closely" after the incident. Amidst the situation, both the U.S. and Russia have extended offers of mutual assistance in combating infectious diseases. When questioned by BBC Russia editor Steve Rosenberg about President Donald Trump's offer of support to Russia, Peskov urged the public to rely on official channels for information regarding the incident.