Google Cloud Speech-to-Text API (Chirp) + Gemini 2.5 Flash Non-Thinking. Treat it as a searchable index of what was broadcast, not a quotation record.
00:00:00"I know it will be difficult to
00:00:03balance. Some politicians from both the opposition and
00:00:06the ruling party say that the excise policy needs to be reviewed.
00:00:09Democratic leader Virginijus Sinkevičius emphasized that a temporary
00:00:12reduction in excise duty is the only way to quickly control the rise
00:00:16in fuel prices. We can talk about some other
00:00:19measures, in the medium term, in the long
00:00:22term, behavioral changes, but for today,
00:00:25if the situation remains as it
00:00:28is and..." "those prices are in the so-called red
00:00:32zone according to the government's
00:00:35decisions, we must have an automatic
00:00:39mechanism for temporary excise duty reduction. Latvia
00:00:42reduced excise duty on both petrol and diesel from the beginning of October,
00:00:46so a liter of fuel became cheaper by about eight cents, but the prime minister
00:00:49emphasized that reducing fuel excise duty is not so simple for Lithuania, the
00:00:53increase in excise duty next year is linked to obligations to the European
00:00:57Union and was planned back
00:00:59insufficient, I think that in 2024. In the coming period, even many
00:01:02countries are thinking about their consumers and
00:01:05businesses, and first of all, if some provisions
00:01:09contradict European Union law, then first at the national
00:01:13level, certain concessions are made, and then
00:01:17they go and negotiate with the European Commission, if political decisions are not
00:01:20made at the political level, then it is impossible to benefit, and
00:01:24it seems that decisions on excise duties will not be made soon,
00:01:27it is dark, it is dark. The Prime Minister
00:01:31says that reducing excise duties is too expensive for the state and socially unjust.
00:01:35Drivers are not necessarily of equal financial
00:01:39capacity. There can be a pensioner, for whom,
00:01:42for example, going to the
00:01:46cemetery on November 1st, their income from their pension is
00:01:49meager, but there can also be a working person or a business
00:01:53person, for whom a 10 cent reduction
00:01:56in fuel is not a significant measure, but the coalition party says that the
00:02:00issue of excise duties will have to be revisited, if the situation worsens,
00:02:04then we will simply have to return to it,
00:02:07there will be no other choice, the
00:02:10government probably currently considers that
00:02:14situation as one that can be
00:02:17handled with more cosmetic
00:02:19measures, the government agrees on concessions
00:02:23for train and intercity bus tickets, which would cost the state budget
00:02:26about 6 million euros per month, according to the Prime Minister,
00:02:30a similar concession for public transport in cities could
00:02:33also be considered by municipalities, it was also agreed to publish fuel
00:02:37prices in real
00:02:37time.
00:02:41This week, 100 soldiers are helping border guards protect
00:02:44the border with Kaliningrad. Officials say the situation at the border is currently
00:02:48calm. One of the reasons for deploying soldiers is the possible
00:02:51risk of Russian mobilization, due
00:02:53six we are already, let's to which Russian citizens may try to flee to Lithuania.
00:02:57Minister of Interior Martynas Katelynas says that
00:03:00Russian citizens transiting through Lithuania should
00:03:03be more controlled, and the minister also states that arriving
00:03:07migrants should be more controlled. For this reason, migration
00:03:10policy will be reviewed. We talked about possible
00:03:14threats and plans to tighten migration with Minister of Interior Martynas
00:03:17Katelynas a little earlier. Minister, this week
00:03:21it was announced that the army is being deployed to protect the border
00:03:25with Kaliningrad, and you have repeatedly said that all this is prevention
00:03:29and threats. The threat has not increased, but
00:03:32still, what has changed that such a step was needed? Well, we evaluate
00:03:35the totality of the available facts
00:03:38that Russia after the so-called
00:03:42presidential elections held
00:03:44at the end of the month
00:03:48will essentially undertake mobilization,
00:03:50we see that the scale of this mobilization can be
00:03:54considerable, so we evaluate the fact that some of the
00:03:57mobilized may be in Kaliningrad. Others may be
00:04:00brought to training grounds to train, we
00:04:04social and, well, certainly understand the threat that there is a possibility
00:04:07that mobilized people may try to seek asylum, try
00:04:10to illegally enter Lithuania fleeing mobilization,
00:04:14so this measure is needed to strengthen border
00:04:17protection, and at the same time, considering the fact that
00:04:21occurred this week in Latvia, regarding
00:04:25the migrant attack, when masked individuals appeared, or
00:04:28migrant smugglers. Or perhaps it was Belarusian special services, we do not
00:04:32is truly changing know, the danger at the border has increased due
00:04:36to hybrid threats and instrumentalized migration, so the totality of these facts
00:04:39led to me appealing to the Minister of National Defense for the deployment
00:04:43of soldiers for border patrolling.
00:04:47Speaking of mobilization, is it more likely that these could
00:04:51be isolated incidents, when individuals try
00:04:54to cross somehow, or again, some hybrid attacks? Well, there
00:04:58can be various scenarios, we... are preparing for all of
00:05:00them, indeed there can be isolated attempts to
00:05:04enter Lithuania and seek asylum, there can also be
00:05:07several individuals, we certainly would not
00:05:10want to see a large-scale attempt to enter the
00:05:14territory of the Republic of Lithuania, therefore these preventive actions are
00:05:18being carried out to ensure the security of our state. But at the moment,
00:05:21have officials reported any unusual
00:05:25activities at the border? At the moment, no, the situation is calm, that is why I call
00:05:29this, let's say, a request to the Minister of National Defense
00:05:33a preventive measure. Returning
00:05:35to the incident in Latvia, can
00:05:39it be said that this is a new stage of escalation
00:05:42that we have not seen before? Well,
00:05:45considering the totality of facts from the 2021 migration crisis,
00:05:49when we saw thousands of people
00:05:52trying to cross into Lithuania, when we did not yet have a physical barrier or a surveillance
00:05:55system, indeed over that five-year
00:05:59period, instrumentalized migration had somewhat
00:06:01subsided. This year Latvia faced very strong
00:06:05instrumentalization and large numbers of migrants, which led to us
00:06:08having secondary migration consequences, which we are
00:06:11already managing quite successfully. The numbers have decreased tenfold,
00:06:15but all these events, and
00:06:18this week's incident with
00:06:2140 or so migrants who were deterred at our
00:06:25border, and that incident in Latvia, show
00:06:28that migrants, before the cold season, when
00:06:32usually the attempts to cross the border due to climatic conditions subside, because
00:06:35those migrants really do not want to spend a long time in the forest
00:06:39when there is sub-zero temperatures, so there is always
00:06:42an intensification when attempts are made to enter the territory of the European
00:06:46Union, and indeed, when it is simply an attempt by migrants to enter,
00:06:50we have faced this and we know how to deal with it, well, that incident in Latvia
00:06:54shows what? That they are no longer afraid to
00:06:58threaten both border guards and the military
00:07:01officers helping them, it really
00:07:05shows that we must be prepared for escalations
00:07:08of various levels, because the regime that uses
00:07:12immigrants and tries to pressure the Baltic
00:07:16states, Poland, to achieve its political goals,
00:07:20they can come up with various measures, which we saw this year
00:07:23in Lithuania with tunnels, this is a completely new method,
00:07:27as I say, we had, we did not have a physical barrier, so there were simply
00:07:30attempts to cross our border simply
00:07:33on foot, we built a physical barrier, they
00:07:37tried to climb over it, we fought
00:07:40that too, repelling those attempts to cross the border
00:07:44illegally, then there was only one way left, to dig from below, we
00:07:47are fighting that too, we are blocking those tunnels,
00:07:50so whenever there are some counter-measures, there is
00:07:53a desire to continue those attempts to
00:07:56cross the border illegally, new methods will be devised,
00:08:00we are preparing for that, we are looking at what we can put against those
00:08:03attempts, and I believe that we are prepared.
00:08:07The number of illegal migrants in Lithuania has decreased recently,
00:08:10but also recently you have been talking a lot about
00:08:14the need for a change in Lithuania's migration policy in general, and
00:08:18you always said, meaning that the policy would be
00:08:21tightened, perhaps you can now say more about what is intended
00:08:25to be done, that policy on legal and illegal
00:08:28migration was previously very distinguished, illegal migration
00:08:31was mainly emphasized, this was the case throughout Europe,
00:08:34now participating in discussions with the interior
00:08:37ministers of European Union member states, when talking about migration,
00:08:41legal migration is also emphasized, how it can be restricted, what
00:08:44methods can be used, regarding the return of illegal migrants,
00:08:48regarding migrants for whom a decision has been made, who had
00:08:51the status to be in the European Union, but it was revoked
00:08:55and they must be returned to their countries of origin, it is now being discussed more strictly that these returns
00:08:59must be accelerated, and speaking about Lithuania regarding legal
00:09:02migration, in principle, what we have seen over the past four years
00:09:06is that the number of migrants has rapidly increased precisely due to that quota
00:09:10migration, when people come to our country from various countries
00:09:13to work, but this causes
00:09:17economic tensions, because we cannot
00:09:20build our state's economy and development on the fact that
00:09:23businesses will earn profits only from cheap labor,
00:09:26in this way we eliminate our citizens from the labor market
00:09:30and in this way we transfer
00:09:33costs to the state, because we see that integration and other things
00:09:36must fall under state supervision, and businesses only take the benefits, so I
00:09:40think that these restrictions must be measured, because in the short term we
00:09:44certainly need that cheap labor where we truly do not have our
00:09:48own citizens, but in principle that quota system does not work, because
00:09:51I have already received data, simply no one
00:09:55has ever asked for such data about migrants who
00:09:57arrive under quotas, whether they
00:10:00all actually work, if they do not work and their temporary residence permit
00:10:04is revoked, whether they leave, yes, we have problems where we
00:10:07do not know if those migrants actually leave, so I say that that system
00:10:10does not work, I proposed a new system to the prime minister, the prime minister instructed
00:10:14to reactivate the migration commission's work and within the framework of that commission,
00:10:18we hope to propose a model that
00:10:21would replace the current one, I hope so, since I am tasked with coordinating the
00:10:25work of that commission, I will present that model to the renewed composition
00:10:29of the commission when we meet in the near future, but you
00:10:31talk mostly, one could
00:10:35say almost exclusively about quotas, but this year
00:10:38about 25,000 foreigners arrived under quotas, however,
00:10:42when talking about some problems, it is often talked about
00:10:46drivers, about couriers, who often arrive not under that
00:10:49quota, but through other means, will a new
00:10:52migration policy be discussed more broadly?
00:10:55If so, about what, only about quotas? Yes, it would be discussed
00:10:59more broadly, because in fact, what we see is that there is a considerable
00:11:02number, according to the available statistics, of
00:11:05people who arrive on the basis of studies, but at the same time
00:11:08use the opportunity to work independently, they
00:11:12are in fact, the basis of study is only
00:11:15a pretext for them to come to Lithuania, they actually work much more, higher
00:11:19education institutions do not even physically see them, and that control is
00:11:24this must end, when some higher
00:11:27education institutions profit from it, but in Lithuania
00:11:31that image is also being created that there are more migrants than actually
00:11:34declared, and when you add
00:11:38all those numbers, not only quota-based, but also study-based and other
00:11:42other bases on which migrants are in Lithuania, we get
00:11:45those several thousands who also raise questions in our society, so
00:11:49regarding studies, you will probably propose that there be
00:11:52stricter control. well, third-country nationals arriving
00:11:56on the basis of studies must come to study, not
00:12:00to work and simply use studies as a reason
00:12:03for entry, in fact it is only a reason, not
00:12:07a principle by which they are here, so you will not allow them,
00:12:10for example, to engage in independent activity, this is one of the options, because we see
00:12:14that if we allow 20 hours of activity, well, they engage in
00:12:1840 and 60 and similar activities, and there is no control to
00:12:21check how much activity is being engaged in, whether
00:12:25lectures are truly attended, whether
00:12:28exams are taken, or whether entire study programs are filled
00:12:32with migrants who do not appear
00:12:33in lectures.
00:12:38it would seem that European Union and NATO countries now
00:12:42need the greatest consolidation against the growing threat from
00:12:45the East, although Western allies' societies are most torn apart
00:12:49by social problems. In France,
00:12:51due to overcrowded classrooms, poor condition of school buildings, and
00:12:55inequality in the education sector, protesting students
00:12:58managed to ignite a national movement, but
00:13:01debt-ridden France with a large budget deficit
00:13:05no longer has many ways to solve the long-standing problem
00:13:08without creating new ones, when unrest in the streets is fueled not only
00:13:12by gangs of vandals, but also by far-left politicians
00:13:15seeking political dividends.
00:13:19The student movement once changed history, when
00:13:22frightened that the situation was becoming unmanageable.
00:13:57movement, it's cold in classrooms in winter, a third of teachers are not replaced
00:14:00in our school, and they are not even among the worst, this year two
00:14:04teachers are missing, we want the government to listen and take serious steps
00:14:07so that we can create the future.
00:14:11Parents and teachers were invited to express support for students,
00:14:15forming a critical mass in one city after another,
00:14:18and educational institutions were blocked one after another. At the
00:14:22beginning of October, there were more than 160
00:14:26of them throughout France. After the wave of protests by fishermen
00:14:30and transporters, triggered by high fuel prices, it will be
00:14:32most difficult for Sébastien Lecornu's fragile
00:14:36government to quell the anger of massively protesting
00:14:39students.
00:14:42They have seen wars, climate change, sometimes watched their parents and loved ones struggle.
00:14:46Nevertheless, we ask you to choose a path and look to the future
00:14:49with determination, to restore trust, this is the responsibility of the government and all political
00:14:53parties.
00:14:56The usual solution would be to increase spending on education after
00:15:00cutting it in other areas, but the reality
00:15:03is that there is nothing left to cut without major consequences,
00:15:07saving at the expense of pensions, healthcare and services
00:15:10would probably provoke even greater anger from
00:15:13other segments of society, the government can
00:15:16borrow more, but servicing the state debt is becoming
00:15:20more expensive, and the debt, which could
00:15:23reach 120% of GDP next year,
00:15:26is approaching the level of Greece and
00:15:29Italy.
00:15:31Observers fear that such a vicious circle will eventually
00:15:34deter investors and this will cause even
00:15:38greater problems in the future, although the French Minister of Finance
00:15:42reassures. Let me emphasize, France
00:15:45remains a very reliable borrower, our accounts are
00:15:48balanced, our strengths in energy,
00:15:52technology and finance are widely recognized.
00:15:55So for now, the government is determined to solve the situation with only short-term
00:15:59solutions, saying it has found specialists who can at least
00:16:03partially fill the missing pedagogical positions
00:16:05in schools. to find, as we call it in jargon,
00:16:09a teacher reserve, that is, teachers who until now have not
00:16:12been assigned to student classes, but the problem
00:16:15also has another side, clashes with the police in some places have become
00:16:19unusually violent, hundreds of students and
00:16:22officers injured, 7,000 young people
00:16:25arrested in a couple of weeks, most of them
00:16:27minors.
00:16:30During one clash, a police stun grenade picked up from the ground
00:16:33tore off a student's palm, some
00:16:36of the protesters accuse law enforcement of using excessive
00:16:40force, but others claim to have seen
00:16:43with their own eyes that the chaos is fueled by gangs of vandals joining
00:16:47the rallies. Here are young people, even from our
00:16:50school and even from our district, coming with fireworks and
00:16:54explosions. We don't want that, we want to protest for our rights and
00:16:57future. Politicians from the far-left
00:17:01party, La France Insoumise, were accused of inciting
00:17:04unrest. Its representatives were filmed
00:17:07gathering near schools, confronting
00:17:11the police. At one of the rallies, their leader
00:17:14Jean-Luc Mélenchon also appeared, putting himself forward as a candidate
00:17:18in next year's presidential elections. This is
00:17:21the most powerful youth movement we have seen in 50 years, and
00:17:25no one can tell you that you are wrong, because you are
00:17:28right. So the ruling party accuses
00:17:32the far-left of opportunism. Hiding behind concern for students,
00:17:36the national crisis is being exploited for narrow political
00:17:39interests and incites radical
00:17:42gangs. This is a blatant campaign aimed at
00:17:46destroying the public education sector. But
00:17:49as unrest continues and divisions grow before the upcoming
00:17:52elections, the most important of all politicians,
00:17:56Emmanuel Macron, remains silent for now.
00:17:59With his last term ending and in such a
00:18:02situation, he probably has few political
00:18:05calculations, but one way or another, unpopular
00:18:09decisions will have to be taken by someone
00:18:11sooner or later.
00:18:15Meanwhile, accumulated social problems in Spain could lead
00:18:19to serious political changes. If it happened
00:18:22that after the early elections in November, the progressive minority coalition of Pedro Sánchez
00:18:26was replaced by center and far-right
00:18:30forces. This is precisely the probability indicated by polls.
00:18:33However, the prime minister hopes that he will turn the upcoming elections
00:18:36into a referendum on who will solve the most important
00:18:39housing problem, and the public's anger over housing prices into support
00:18:43for his socialist party. A risky gamble and reminiscent
00:18:47of the summer before last, when French President Emmanuel
00:18:50Macron also decided to go all-in, called early
00:18:54elections, only to lose them and further complicate the situation
00:18:57in the country. What will happen in Spain is still
00:19:00unclear. What is clear is that the housing crisis continues
00:19:04to leave no one indifferent. Protests in Madrid, Valencia,
00:19:07Barcelona and elsewhere continue, and the disappointment
00:19:10of their participants is deepened by the news that Maricarmen
00:19:13Abascal, an 87-year-old senior who was forcibly evicted from her home
00:19:17in Madrid due to inability to pay rent,
00:19:19and became a symbol of the protests, died this week.
00:19:22mirė.
00:19:27We'll be right back.
00:19:30A suspected case of plague in Russia forced the whole world to remember
00:19:34the recently experienced pandemic.
00:19:37In another segment. Lithuania will allocate almost as much money to defense as this year, what
00:19:40will we invest in?
00:19:43Dilemma in the United States regarding the death penalty.
00:19:55We're back, it's this week. Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius
00:19:59stated that next year Lithuania will continue to allocate almost as much money
00:20:03from the budget for defense as this year. The percentage of GDP
00:20:06will slightly decrease, but will remain slightly more than
00:20:095%. Funds for defense continue to cover not only
00:20:12weapons or air defense acquisitions, but also
00:20:16infrastructure development. This week it became clear that Lithuania
00:20:19is ready if Americans want to establish
00:20:22a base.
00:20:25Lithuania invited the United States to establish a permanent American base
00:20:28in Lithuania, would you consider it?
00:20:31Well, they are my friends, great people, so we will certainly
00:20:34people, Lithuania. "I know
00:20:38so many people in this country, they are great
00:20:40people.
00:20:43The Minister of National Defense presented the proposal to establish a permanent base to the Pentagon
00:20:46a couple of weeks ago, and a little earlier the same
00:20:52offer was also conveyed by the government to the American envoy to Belarus, John Cole. We are ready
00:20:55to provide the best possible conditions for the US side,
00:20:59I am glad that President Trump does not reject
00:21:02such ideas, I have indeed instructed the Ministry of National
00:21:06Defense to do its homework. With the rotation of American
00:21:09troops returning this month, Lithuania continues to do everything to meet the needs
00:21:12of perhaps the most important security and deterrence guarantor, the Americans.
00:21:16New residential buildings were recently built at General Silvestras Žukauskas training ground.
00:21:20The state covers all expenses for the presence of troops. I think this
00:21:23is a very serious political signal.
00:21:27Lithuania's offer to continue covering the costs of troop presence and
00:21:30expanding infrastructure. However, experts emphasize that the United States
00:21:34administration is unpredictable, and they are waiting to see how the situation
00:21:38regarding the military base in Poland develops, but they also raise the question of whether
00:21:41Washington would ask to change its policy regarding Belarus. This
00:21:45administration is very business-like, let's call it that,
00:21:48in international relations. It is clear that it will use such
00:21:52promises as a certain means of pressure or
00:21:55compensation to Lithuania for opening up transit. This is
00:21:59very good news, which shows that the United
00:22:03States of America trusts Lithuania. Now
00:22:05the most important thing is to act consistently. We have received
00:22:09the rotation of United States troops. Deterrence
00:22:13is consistently strengthened with another ally. In the coming
00:22:16months, the first phase of the military camp for the German brigade in Rukla
00:22:20will be completed, the project is being implemented faster than planned, there
00:22:24is German reassurance.
00:22:27The security of the Baltic states and Germany's security, Berlin's
00:22:30security also means Vilnius' security. We act
00:22:33accordingly.
00:22:35Funds are not only for the infrastructure of the German brigade, the expenses of American
00:22:39troops, air defense needs to be strengthened, air space surveillance.
00:22:42Drones are also needed. The army, in turn, announced a
00:22:46space for training experiments with technologies.
00:22:50Drones and what has become an integral part of the war in Ukraine will be
00:22:53tested here. The Ambo unit of autonomous remote unmanned operations
00:22:57has been working for some time, checking what would be suitable for the army
00:23:01for reconnaissance, defense, attacks, short and long
00:23:03range. The army has already received significantly updated combat drones Switch
00:23:07Blade 600, which have recently been quietly used by Ukrainian
00:23:11special operations, military intelligence and SBU units.
00:23:15daliniai.
00:23:20The minister says they want to test various drones, including
00:23:23Lithuanian ones, several from very specific manufacturers,
00:23:26to find out what would fit, although very logical, but not very
00:23:29compatible with public procurement, the government needs to ask
00:23:33for exceptions. Now we have government permission to acquire
00:23:3611 different types of drone interceptors and
00:23:40with
00:23:43say, in the home stretch for signing contracts,
00:23:47so we are certainly not limiting ourselves to just one. The Ministry of
00:23:51National Defense intends to submit proposals
00:23:54regarding the public procurement law in the near future, the interest of
00:23:57industrialists, the possibility of testing Lithuanian weapons,
00:24:00and even better, investments in local
00:24:03It would be fully possible to use Lithuanian industrial capacities,
00:24:07to make more use of the possibility of acquiring trial
00:24:10batches and thus to test new
00:24:14products and later, say, if there is
00:24:18positive feedback,
00:24:21to give the opportunity to acquire larger batches. After
00:24:25the audit of the Ministry of National Defence, the minister states that the Defence Resources Agency,
00:24:29responsible for procurement, must change. The new
00:24:32head, Dovydas Palaima, who took office in March, states that among the important
00:24:36desired changes is to reduce bureaucracy. Public
00:24:39procurement is regulated by both Lithuanian and European Union procurement
00:24:43and competition law. We must ensure that these funds are
00:24:47used efficiently, transparently and proportionally. Procurement
00:24:50consists of many components: needs, compatibility with Lithuanian and NATO
00:24:54defence plans, dealings with manufacturers, production, delivery of
00:24:57capacity, testing, personnel training.
00:25:00The head of the Defence Resources Agency says there is a shortage of people
00:25:04who can work with procurement. In the hands of these specialists are tens of
00:25:07millions of state money. How the
00:25:11agency could change is planned to be presented in the coming months, but
00:25:14the changes will not be related solely to personnel shortages.
00:25:17The Gra, as an organization,
00:25:22in terms of both resources and competencies, we are growing,
00:25:25restructuring and truly adapting
00:25:29to the challenges of the times so that we can
00:25:32timely and effectively respond to the needs of military
00:25:35capabilities, at the same time changing the procedures themselves,
00:25:38both laws and internal
00:25:41procedures, and at the same time,
00:25:44procurement specialists effectively use
00:25:46allocated funds. This is
00:25:50an easy process, no, not easy, because the homework was not done
00:25:53on time. Mindaugas Sinkevičius's message: next year's
00:25:56defence budget will be slightly less than five billion euros,
00:26:00remaining almost the same as this year's.
00:26:03However, the percentage allocated from the gross domestic product will decrease due to economic
00:26:06growth and will be just over
00:26:085%.
00:26:12For those not interested in health topics, plague at best
00:26:15reminds of biblical stories or history
00:26:18lessons, perhaps Albert Camus's book. Nevertheless,
00:26:22in recent weeks, suspected cases of this disease
00:26:25in Russia have forced the whole world to remember the recently experienced
00:26:28pandemic. There is little clarity regarding a possible attack of pneumonic plague
00:26:32in Irkutsk. Russian officials claim that the suspected
00:26:35case was not confirmed, but refuse to share information about
00:26:39the circumstances of the death of a young employee of the plague research
00:26:42institute. Nevertheless, scientists reassure that even if the case
00:26:46of the disease were confirmed, the risk of spread is low, and
00:26:49modern medicine is capable of preventing not only
00:26:53its spread, but also the death of those
00:26:55infected.
00:26:57At the end of 2019, the world's attention gradually
00:27:01focused on a city in China that not everyone had heard of then, Wuhan.
00:27:04At the end of December, the World Health Organization received a report about
00:27:08cases of pneumonia of unknown origin. Almost seven years
00:27:12later.
00:27:15The distant Irkutsk television reports about pneumonia of unknown
00:27:18origin. This time it is not about a new Covid.
00:27:22Rumors are circulating about the well-known plague.
00:27:26The day it all happened, my mom called me and
00:27:29screamed that 10 people had already died. There were no official
00:27:33reports yet, I had read that it was something
00:27:36similar to Hong Kong syphilis and that it was actually
00:27:40caused by bears, so people panicked because
00:27:43there were no official statements. There are few official
00:27:46reports now either, it is known that an employee of the plague research
00:27:50laboratory, 28-year-old Daria
00:27:53Shipilova, died in this hospital. Officially, it is stated that her life was taken by
00:27:57pneumonia of unknown origin. It might not be
00:27:59suspicious, especially since there are cases where doctors really don't know
00:28:03why a patient contracted pneumonia, for example, in the United
00:28:06Kingdom, such cases make up a quarter,
00:28:09but from the first reports contradictory information began to spread,
00:28:13and the media, which published reports of plague cases and is not heavily controlled by the Kremlin,
00:28:17very quickly retracted its statements, later deleting
00:28:21the posts on social networks. In Soviet
00:28:24times, all these cases were hidden under thick shrouds of secrecy,
00:28:27people were not informed, then huge
00:28:30restriction and isolation measures were in place, and almost
00:28:34always succeeded, this applies to smallpox, plague, and
00:28:37anthrax. The suspicion is not diminished by the history of the Irkutsk Plague Research
00:28:41Institute. Established in 1934,
00:28:45the institute was supposed to control possible outbreaks in Siberia,
00:28:48Mongolia and China, to study plague itself, and later other
00:28:52dangerous diseases, including cholera and anthrax. However, during the height of the Cold
00:28:55War, the institution was officially included in the Soviet Union's defensive
00:28:59biological program. True, there is no information that biological
00:29:03weapons were created here, but the institute could have transmitted
00:29:05infections, but it is also emphasized that the mere existence
00:29:09of the institute and its past proves nothing, although plague is not
00:29:12widespread, but cases of it, including in Siberia, are recorded annually from
00:29:16100 to 300, therefore scientists constantly study the disease,
00:29:19looking for better medicines and vaccines. In Madagascar,
00:29:23outbreaks recur almost every year, isolated cases have been recorded
00:29:26in Congo, several cases have also been registered
00:29:30in the United States, and reports also come from some parts of the Central Asian
00:29:33steppes. True, of the three forms of plague: bubonic,
00:29:37septicemic, and pneumonic, the most common is
00:29:40bubonic. It accounts for the largest number of naturally occurring
00:29:44cases of the disease. Meanwhile, pneumonic plague is the most dangerous, but
00:29:48up to ten cases are recorded worldwide
00:29:50each year. Pneumonic plague, which we are talking about now,
00:29:54occurs when the pathogen is inhaled and infects
00:29:57the respiratory tract. In bubonic plague, often called
00:30:01the Black Death, bacteria are carried by fleas
00:30:04that infest rats. Fleas bite rats, and these, when biting
00:30:08humans, transmit the bacteria. Inhaling the
00:30:11pathogen would also coincide with the theory being put forward that researchers, while performing experiments, could have
00:30:14broken a test tube and thus become infected, and later died,
00:30:18but Shipilova's mother, who gave an interview to local media, insists that
00:30:21only fools believe such claims, saying she knows what
00:30:25really happened, but is not saying it publicly. Nevertheless, the greatest
00:30:28concern is that pneumonic plague is the only form that
00:30:32a person can transmit to another person. It progresses extremely
00:30:35quickly, from infection to death can pass in just one or a few
00:30:39days, and the initial symptoms resemble a common flu, so
00:30:42recognizing the disease immediately is difficult. The fact that Shipilova was admitted to the hospital
00:30:46on September 29 and died on October 1 is one
00:30:50piece of evidence that we are talking about a possible case of pneumonic
00:30:54plague. Nevertheless, it is emphasized that the disease is easily
00:30:56curable, although action must be taken quickly. Small and mass.