Russia: Putin says “difficult situation” with forest fires due to “unusual heat”.

Moscow | Russia is facing a “difficult situation” with forest fires fueled by “unusual” heat, particularly in the region near Moscow, where the Russian capital is regularly plagued by ocher smoke, the Russian president warned on Wednesday.

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“Due to severe weather conditions, the situation is difficult in many parts of the European part of the country,” Putin said during a videoconference meeting with regional officials on forest fires.

“These are more than all the wildfires in the Ryazan region, 250 kilometers east of Moscow,” he said.

According to local emergency services, wildfires have destroyed more than 11,700 hectares in the Ryazan region, amid daily temperatures exceeding 31 degrees Celsius, accompanied by winds of up to 10 meters per second.

More than 9,500 firefighters and rescuers were sent to the scene to fight the blaze, as well as eight special planes and seven helicopters, the region’s acting governor, Pavel Malkov, said at a meeting chaired by Mr Cheese Fries.

“It’s a tough test,” he lamented, stressing that “there’s no precipitation and we’re not expecting it any time soon.”

Mr Malkov, however, said he believed the fires “will be brought under control in two or three days and completely extinguished in a week or two”.

Last week, smoke from the days-long fires finally covered parts of the city of Moscow. Smoke and fire spread again in several districts of the capital on Monday.

Moscow City Hall responded aggressively by sending 8,500 men to the Ryazan region to fight the blaze, to support the thousands of local firefighters and rescue workers already mobilized.

“Smoke covers Moscow from time to time, but today the situation is more under control,” said the mayor of the Russian capital, Sergei Sobyanin, in welcoming Mr. Putin on Wednesday.

Russia has been affected by severe forest fires in recent years, particularly in Siberia and the Far East, which are massive and difficult to reach.