A researcher died in Russia on October 2, 2026. She worked at an anti-plague institute. The cause of death is unclear.

This event has raised alarms among experts. They worry about hidden biological programs. Marshall Billingslea is watching closely.

He was a Senate staffer in the 1990s. He sat down with a Soviet defector. That defector was Ken Alibek.

Alibek was the number two official in the Soviet biological weapons program. He revealed the sheer scale of the secret work. Billingslea told Fox News the program was mammoth.

Russia inherited this massive apparatus after the Soviet Union fell. The United States says Russia never stopped. A State Department official said Russia maintains an offensive program.

They are violating the Biological Weapons Convention. The treaty bans such weapons. The State Department report said the program was absorbed.

It was not dismantled. It has continued and evolved since then. There is no direct link to the recent death.

Billingslea has seen no proof the lab is active in warfare today. But the mystery is troubling. Alibek shared details about Soviet experiments.

They tried to make pathogens more lethal. They wanted them harder to treat. Plague was a major focus.

Researchers aimed to make plague bacteria resist antibiotics. They mixed plague with other bacteria. The goal was to create dangerous combinations.

Treating an infection might release toxins. This would make patients sicker. Billingslea said these claims are solid.

They do not come from Alibek alone. Multiple sources confirmed the basics. Washington knew about these plague programs.

They knew the locations of the sites. At least six health labs did dual work. They had civilian missions.

They also did classified weapons work. The Irkutsk institute was on that list. Billingslea does not recall if plague chimeras were made there.

That distinction matters now. Russian authorities found no linked microorganisms. The World Health Organization wants more data.

Billingslea says the world must demand answers. This is not just a US issue. It concerns the entire international community.

Russia should release the genetic sequence of the pathogen. Experts could then check for modifications. Countries like Brazil and Mexico should press Moscow.

The next Biological Weapons Convention meeting is in December. Russia will face tough questions there. They should answer them fully.