Every Year Again
Forest Fires in Russia
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
In the summer of 2010, Russia was afflicted by devastating fires. These attracted enormous media attention above all due to the peat fires around Moscow. However, large expanses of woods burn every year in Russia. Catastrophes such as the one in 2010 were triggered by extreme climate conditions, but they were nonetheless foreseeable. The area affected by forest fires each year has considerably expanded over the past two decades. Just registering the forest fires is an enormous strain on the state forest authorities. The already sparse funds for fighting forest fires have been cut again, and the authorities have been paralysed ever since an administrative reorganisation.
(Osteuropa 9/2010, pp. 5–16)