Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev held a meeting on the issue of passing the flood-hazardous period and fire-hazardous season. It was attended by the heads of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Federal Forestry Agency, the Federal Water Resources Agency, the Federal Hydrometeorological Service and other relevant departments, as well as heads of regions.
Dmitry Patrushev reported that the spring flood this year passed without significant damage to populated areas and economic facilities. The Deputy Prime Minister noted the coordinated work of federal agencies and regions and emphasized that the Government allocated 6.5 billion rubles to organize preventive measures. The funds were also used to strengthen the coastlines, clear river beds and under-bridge spaces. A timely hydrometeorological flood forecast also made it possible to take the necessary preventive measures.
Despite the favorable situation with the passage of the spring flood period, a number of water bodies in the Urals, Siberia and the Far East still have a fairly high water level. In this regard, Rosvodresursy, together with the regions, will continue to constantly monitor the hydrological situation, and if necessary, the operation of reservoirs will be adjusted. Dmitry Patrushev also instructed that issues of rapidly developing floods, typical for the territories of the Far Eastern, North Caucasian and Southern Federal Districts, be regularly considered during meetings of the headquarters of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Ministry of Natural Resources and the regions.
“The situation with wildfires has been difficult since the beginning of the season, but is currently generally stabilizing. About 20 billion rubles have been allocated for the implementation of measures to protect forests from fires in 2025, which is significantly more than a year earlier. Thanks to the systemic measures taken at the level of the Government, the Ministry of Emergency Situations and other responsible agencies, the timely transfer of forces and, of course, the heroic efforts of firefighters, the total area of fires has decreased by 2.5 times in the last month alone. And now the figure for the country is less than 300 thousand hectares, although a month ago it exceeded 800 thousand,” said Dmitry Patrushev.
The Deputy Prime Minister noted that against the backdrop of a warm winter and early spring, the first fires were recorded in April, which is much earlier than in previous years. In total, the fire has already passed through almost 4 million hectares. The most difficult situation remains in the Zabaikalsky Krai, which accounts for almost 80% of the area of active forest fires throughout the Russian Federation. Since April, a federal emergency regime has been in effect in the region.
Dmitry Patrushev emphasized that the federal authorities had taken maximum measures to qualitatively influence the situation. In preparation for the fire season, the Government allocated 1.8 billion rubles to the Zabaikalsky Krai, including an additional 800 million to increase forces and resources. In addition, a new forest fire center has been operating in the region since the beginning of 2025. All available aircraft were additionally sent to Zabaikalsky Krai, including a Cyclone aircraft for artificially inducing precipitation, and specialists from other regions and most of the federal reserve of Avialesookhrana were also transferred.
“The peak of the fire season has not yet passed. Therefore, the risks remain. Constant monitoring is necessary, first of all, in the regions of the Far East and Siberia, where dry weather and thunderstorm activity are observed. It is necessary to organize the work in such a way as to ensure prompt detection of fires and timely deployment of the necessary forces and means. The goal is to extinguish at least 80% of fires in the first day. In this case, this is the key to efficiency,” said Dmitry Patrushev.
Following the meeting, the Deputy Prime Minister instructed federal agencies to continue providing all necessary assistance to the regions. He also drew the attention of the heads of the subjects to the need to monitor the development of the fire situation and strengthen monitoring aimed at promptly detecting fires and eliminating them within the first 24 hours. The Zabaikalsky Krai and Buryatia need to mobilize resources as much as possible to quickly localize and eliminate the current fires.
Dmitry Patrushev stressed the importance of monitoring the situation in hard-to-reach areas to identify fires before they become large-scale. The Deputy Prime Minister drew special attention to the effectiveness of the current measures of the special headquarters for the prevention of natural fires at the level of the Central Federal District.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.