Russian President Vladimir Putin has just ordered the army to take part in the fighting against the massive forest fires that have been ravaging Siberia for weeks, destroying millions of hectares and covering entire cities with smoke.
This decision comes a few days after the alarm signal issued by environmental organisations, which are concerned about the lack of reaction of the Russian authorities to these fires, which could even threaten to accelerate the melting of the Arctic.
The Russian Ministry of Defence has announced the dispatch of ten planes and ten helicopters to Krasnoyarsk territory, one of the most affected areas.
In total, according to official figures, nearly three million hectares, slightly less than the size of Belgium, were in flames yesterday Thursday, mainly in the huge regions of Yakutia, Krasnoyarsk and Irkutsk.
According to Greenpeace, a total of more than 12 million hectares have been burned since the beginning of the year and 2,700 firefighters are deployed on site.