A worker at a research laboratory in Siberia died last week under suspicious circumstances, fueling global concerns about suspected pneumonic plague. The incident is the latest example of how Russia manages the official narrative, according to FRANCE 24's International Affairs Commentator Douglas Herbert.
Herbert explains that the Kremlin has long maintained a culture of secrecy when it comes to controlling public information, especially involving accidents – from industrial disasters to health emergencies. This approach, he says, is inherited from the Soviet era.