Moscow, Aug. 4, (dpa/GNA) – Emergency forces in Russia are receiving further help from the armed forces amid the fight against devastating forest fires.
Additional technical equipment will be delivered to the particularly affected Siberian Republic of Sakha, also known as Yakutia, in the east of the country, the Ministry of Defence said in Moscow on Wednesday.
According to the authorities, 173 fires are still raging in the region and the situation remains difficult.
The more than 2,500 members of the emergency forces want to prevent the flames from spreading to several villages, where people are complaining about the thick smoke.
The Department of Defence said that the firefighting efforts in Yakutia covered a region of more than 8,000 square kilometres, which is an area bigger than Azerbaijan.
There is a large area where the fires are currently not being extinguished because they are located in remote regions. Environmentalists assume there is a much larger extent.
Huge stock of trees go up in flames every year in Russia. Environmental experts complain that the situation has worsened due to the climate change.
GNA