Tyva Government Takes Emergency Action as Wildfires Rage On

Authorities in the Siberian republic of Tyva declared a statewide emergency on Tuesday due to the rising number of wildfires.

Vladislav Khovalyg, the head of Tyva, indicated that he would seek additional federal support to tackle eight active fires, which were initially reported to cover an area of 275 hectares (680 acres). By early Wednesday, the affected area had increased to over 324 hectares (800 acres).

Tyva is a sparsely populated region that occupies 168,600 square kilometers (65,096 square miles).

The regional Ministry of Forestry announced that emergency measures include restricting access to forests, both by vehicle and on foot, even for recreational activities such as mushroom and berry picking.

Khovalyg assured that there are currently no immediate dangers to populated areas, as the region is home to approximately 337,300 residents.

“We plan to lift the state of emergency only when conditions improve,” he mentioned in a Telegram post, highlighting that dry weather and a lack of rain were hindering fire containment efforts.

In recent years, Siberia and the Far East of Russia have experienced increasingly intense wildfire seasons, which experts attribute to climate change driven by human activities.

This year’s worst-hit area has been Zabaikalsky, where wildfires have devastated an estimated 2.7 million hectares (6.7 million acres) and led to the evacuation of entire communities.

On Tuesday, Zabaikalsky region Governor Alexander Osipov accused alleged arsonists, purportedly acting on behalf of Ukraine, of igniting some of these fires. He reported that multiple suspects have been apprehended.