Skip to content
PLAGUE RUSSIA

Background · Reviewed 2026-10-07

Plague & Russia — a historical timeline

A brief, sourced chronology that puts the current event in context. This is history and background — the current Irkutsk status is tracked separately and is under investigation (plague not confirmed).

Historical background only. The current Irkutsk case is a separate, unconfirmed event — see the Irkutsk page.
  1. 14th c.

    The Black Death reaches Russian lands

    The Second Plague Pandemic spread across Eurasia in the 14th century, including the principalities of Rus', as it did much of Europe and Asia.

  2. 1910–11

    Manchurian pneumonic plague outbreak

    One of the largest recorded pneumonic plague outbreaks took place in Manchuria (north-east China) and the surrounding region, transmitted person-to-person. It shaped modern plague-control practice across the region.

  3. 20th c.

    A state anti-plague system and research network

    The Russian Empire and later the USSR built an extensive system to study and control plague in natural foci, including research institutes whose descendants operate today (for example in Irkutsk, Stavropol and Saratov).

  4. Modern era

    Occasional isolated cases in natural-focus areas

    Russia is among the countries with registered natural foci. Isolated animal cases and, rarely, human cases linked to those foci are investigated by Rospotrebnadzor and local anti-plague institutes. Such events are managed as routine public-health responses.

  5. 2019

    Mongolia marmot-associated cases

    In 2019 a Mongolian couple died of plague after eating marmot, prompting official precautions. This underscored how human cases in the wider region are typically linked to handling or consuming infected wild animals.

  6. Oct 2026

    Irkutsk case — under investigation

    The current Irkutsk event (a fatal pneumonia of undetermined cause in an anti-plague institute worker) is under investigation. Plague has NOT been confirmed by authorities. See the Irkutsk page for status and sources.

About this timeline

Entries are deliberately high-level and are sourced to public references such as the WHO. They avoid case counts we cannot independently verify. For background on why plague is associated with the region, see natural foci & background.

Sources

Official / WHO / health authorities (Tier 1)

Tier 3 sources are treated as unverified leads and are never used as the basis for figures.

Last reviewed 07 Oct 2026.