Major forest fires prevented in Russia this year - minister

BIROBIDZHAN. Aug 22 (Interfax) - Major forest fires were prevented in Russia in 2025 except in the Transbaikal territory, Russian Emergency Situations Minister Alexander Kurenkov told the press on Friday.

"Yes, we have had difficulties in the Transbaikal territory, but we prevented the spread of major fires in the country in general. We believe the credit for that lies not only with us, but also with nature," Kurenkov said.

He said he had ordered heads of the ministry's regional branches to start fighting forest fires as soon as they threatened populated areas. The ministry is always ready to use heavy aircraft in firefighting, Kurenkov said.

He made a special mention of manmade fires. "The number of fires has really decreased across the country this year," Kurenkov said.