Brief
RFK-funded NIH grant linked to Russian plague lab research
A National Institutes of Health grant overseen by Robert F. Kennedy Jr funded a study using foxes from a Siberian breeding facility, raising questions after a lab worker died of suspected plague in Irkutsk.
By Felo News Desk · Published
According to the Daily Mail, a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant of almost $800,000, overseen by Robert F. Kennedy Jr as part of the Health and Human Services (HHS) portfolio, was awarded to the University of Illinois Urbana‑Champaign for research that involved animals raised at a Siberian breeding facility linked to the Irkutsk Anti‑Plague Research Institute.
What happened
The grant was split into two payments: $389,943 in July 2025 and $389,746 in September 2026. The funding supported a project that examined social behavior in foxes that had been raised at a breeding facility in Siberia. Researchers reportedly killed the animals before sending tissue samples to the university for further analysis.
What the reports add
The Daily Mail notes that the funding came to attention through White Coat Waste, a bipartisan watchdog group that monitors animal‑testing practices. The outlet highlights that the grant contravenes a 2022 directive from President Biden ordering a halt to U.S. animal‑testing collaborations with Russia after the invasion of Ukraine. The article also connects the research to the Irkutsk Anti‑Plague Research Institute, where a 28‑year‑old worker, Darya Shipilova, died on October 2 after allegedly breaking a test tube containing live bacteria. Russian officials described her death as “unidentified pneumonia,” but other reports suggest pneumonic plague infection, prompting quarantine of hundreds of contacts.
What was said
The Daily Mail states that White Coat Waste claimed Kennedy “shouldn’t have been funding the research at all” given the 2022 directive. The outlet also reports that the university received the two NIH payments in 2025 and 2026, but it does not include any comment from NIH or HHS.
How it came about
Earlier Felo News coverage documented the fallout from Shipilova’s death, noting that around 200 people were placed under observation after the incident (see Lab worker dies in Siberia, nearly 200 placed under observation). The same series reported a scheduled call between President Trump and President Putin to discuss the outbreak (see Trump schedules call with Putin over Siberian plague). The current story adds the financial dimension, linking the NIH grant to the research that used animals from the same Siberian facility.
Key facts
- NIH granted $389,943 in July 2025 and $389,746 in September 2026 to the University of Illinois Urbana‑Champaign for a fox‑behavior study tied to a Siberian breeding facility. (dailymail.co.uk)
- The research involved killing foxes before sending samples to the university, according to watchdog White Coat Waste. (dailymail.co.uk)
- The grant was overseen by Robert F. Kennedy Jr as part of HHS, despite a 2022 Biden directive to stop animal‑testing collaborations with Russia. (dailymail.co.uk)
- A 28‑year‑old worker at the Irkutsk Anti‑Plague Research Institute died on October 2 after allegedly breaking a test tube with live bacteria, prompting quarantine of hundreds. (dailymail.co.uk)
Sources
- [1] dailymail.co.uk — originally reported as “Russian plague lab reportedly received research funding from RFK's HHS”
