May 18, 2023

Russia is on Fire


Russia is on Fire
Firemen smother fire in Orekhovo-Zuyevo, Moscow region. Mikhail Mironov, Commons:RIA Novosti

Wildfires have been raging in Russia for months. Eight Regions have declared states of emergency. According to Agentstvo and Greenpeace, 5 million hectares are burning, comparable to the land mass of Slovakia or Denmark. At the same time, authorities underestimate the data on fires by a factor of eight, and for some regions, official data is underestimated by a factor of 200. According to satellite imagery, fires have consumed 1.5 million hectares in Omsk Oblast, while authorities have only admitted to the burning of 7.7 thousand hectares. 

Nastoyashee Vremya reports that the most difficult situation with fires is in the Urals and Siberia. 60 wildfires were recorded in Kurgan Oblast, where authorities had to evacuate residents of several villages and towns in the suburbs of Kurgan, the region's capital. And it is not only firefighters who are involved in extinguishing fires – military and volunteers are also in the mix.

In Sverdlovsk Oblast, more than 60 fires are raging, and this is the second wave of wildfires the region has seen since the beginning of the year. At the end of April, 178 buildings burned down in the region. 

The authorities attribute most fires to careless public attitudes to fire and how hot weather and wind contribute to its rapid spread. According to Greenpeace, the wildfires are also due to a lack of financing, specialists, equipment, and cooperation between different regions.

At the same time, according to the Telegram channel of journalist Dmitry Kolezev, residents of affected regions are looking for a Ukrainian connection in the fires and are actively looking for saboteurs.

In Irbit (Sverdlovsk Oblast), local residents were madly hunting for a gray pickup truck, and posts appeared on the social network VKontakte saying that 70 cars had come from Ukraine to “fire missiles” at forests. Yet, given that Russia's border with Ukraine is about 2,200 kilometers away, the baseless rumors demonstrate the country's growing and irrational obsession with spies and saboteurs.

You Might Also Like

No Money, Only War
  • March 29, 2023

No Money, Only War

Russian authorities blame the "special military operation" for the disruption of infrastructural and social projects.
A Year of Decline
  • December 31, 2022

A Year of Decline

Russia’s War on Ukraine is exacting deep and enduring economic and social costs on the country.
Fields of Poison
  • December 29, 2022

Fields of Poison

Thousands of endangered birds and other animals have been poisoned with an illegal pesticide in Stavropol Krai.
Not in the Job Description
  • December 13, 2022

Not in the Job Description

The director of a nature reserve near Novosibirsk has been arrested for illegally hunting inside his park.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

Survival Russian
February 01, 2009

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices
May 01, 2013

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.

Fearful Majesty
July 01, 2014

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.

The Little Humpbacked Horse
November 03, 2014

The Little Humpbacked Horse

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.

Russian Rules
November 16, 2011

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.

Marooned in Moscow
May 01, 2011

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.

Driving Down Russia's Spine
June 01, 2016

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 

Jews in Service to the Tsar
October 09, 2011

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.

Little Golden Calf
February 01, 2010

Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.

Woe From Wit (bilingual)
June 20, 2017

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.

Fish
February 01, 2010

Fish

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.

About Us

Russian Life is the 31-year-old publication of an award-winning publishing house that also creates books, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955