People in Moscow complain of unusual pollution and an intense burning smell in almost every part of the Russian capital.
Also in the centre, where the Kremlin and government buildings are, there was a fog today – passersby complained of a pungent odor in their noses. Temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius were expected. The Ministry of Civil Defense announced that forest fires were raging south-east of Moscow, in the Ryazan region, and the smoke had spread as far as Moscow.
The authorities of Europe’s largest city, which according to official figures has more than twelve million inhabitants but is estimated to be more than 15 million, have reported numerous complaints. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin announced that 240 emergency services and nearly 78 technology units had been deployed to the capital’s Ryazan region.
Greenpeace speaks of a catastrophic situation
In Russia, as every year, there are massive forest fires in many parts of the country. The environmental organization Greenpeace speaks of a catastrophic situation. Huge swathes of the largest country on Earth by area are on fire.
Time and again there are complaints from environmentalists that authorities are not doing enough to fight the fires. Russian state media also reported that some of the soldiers who were deployed to extinguish the fire were also deployed during the war in Ukraine and were therefore not available to save the forest.