Russia was also accused of covering up a mysterious 1988 alopecia outbreak in Chernivtsi region, in which more than 175 children lost their hair. Soviet authorities said the children suffered from thallium food poisoning, but later studies raised questions about that, with some suggesting the cause was hydrazine, or acid rain.

Over the years, the Kremlin has also dismissed, downplayed and underreported HIV cases, even while in the middle of a deadly epidemic. And, more recently, during the Covid-19 pandemic, Russia was accused of downplaying coronavirus deaths, particularly at the beginning. 

The tradition extends beyond public health. The 1999 apartment block bombings, the 2000 sinking of the Kursk submarine and the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 by Kremlin-backed separatists all raised questions over Russia's public messaging and commitment to transparency.

Talks with Putin

The EU and the U.S. are monitoring the Irkutsk situation closely, with both seemingly growing impatient with Russia’s communication. 

“The whole world is waiting for the information from Russia,” said European Commission spokesperson Eva Hrncirova on Thursday.

“Russia should make information about the plague available as soon as possible,” she told reporters. “We need information from Russia. It’s linked to the Russian membership in the WHO Europe, sharing timely, precise, exact information so that the experts can assess the situation, because [it] can have cross-border implications.”