While the Ukraine war in the Donbass reaches a new intensity, Moscow faces a second front in the east – devastating forest fires are raging in Siberia.
Moscow – just arrived Ukraine conflict* a new dimension due to the offensive of Russian armed forces in the Donbass. Numerous international observers report increasing shelling of the region in the east of the Ukraine*.
However, Russia continues to face strong resistance from Ukrainian troops. According to the British secret service, the Russian military is also plagued by supply problems and technical difficulties. Added to this is the fact that devastating forest fires are raging in their own country.
Devastating forest fires in Russia: Affected area twice as large as in 2021
The forest fire season Russia* According to Russian media and Greenpeace Russia 2022 started very early. In the past few days, around 400 forest fires have broken out in Siberia, the Russian Federation Ministry of Emergency Situations reported. The forest fire area is therefore already twice as large as in April last year. There are no exact figures as to which area is currently affected by fires. On Monday (April 18, 2022), the Ministry of Disaster Management reported around 150 hectares that were affected. Since then, numerous other fires have broken out.
The fires are significantly more widespread than the authorities have registered and are out of control in some forests, Greenpeace spokesman Aleksey Yaroshenko told the Siberian Times.
Severe forest fires in Russia: Large parts of Siberia in flames
A Video published by the Siberian Times shows a huge fire in the Tyumen region of western Siberia. Footage, posted to Twitter, shows firefighters attempting to fight the blaze against an orange, smoke-filled sky. “Firefighters and aviation are working to extinguish a massive steppe fire in the Tyumen region, western Siberia,” the tweet said. The Omsk, Tyumen and Krasnoyarsk regions in particular are currently being hit by the devastating forest fires.
The forest fires are now also reaching populated areas. The fire has already destroyed more than 60 houses in the Krasnoyarsk region. Pictures from photographers and photo agencies show that numerous major cities are enveloped in suffocating smoke and smog. The of Wladimir Putin* According to Russian media, the regional governments deployed in Siberia have already taken immediate measures to fight the alarming forest fires as quickly as possible.
Forest fires in Russia: Experts warn of serious consequences
The UN Climate Change Council had already warned in February of the increasing risk of forest and wildfires. Already in August 2021, the devastating forest fires in Siberia had spread further and further*. Greenpeace activists warned Russia not to underestimate the fires last year.
Above all, experts also expect long-term consequences for the permafrost soil – i.e. permanently frozen soil. In Russia, this still affects about two-thirds of the total floor area. If the permafrost soil continues to thaw as a result of climate change and the devastating fires, large amounts of bound greenhouse gases could be released into the atmosphere. In addition, there could be other disasters such as landslides due to sagging soil. (iwe) *fr.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.
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