In russia, the Actual Scale of Forest Fires Exceeds Official Figures Several Times

In just three days, russia’s “Avialesokhrana” extinguished 17 forest fires, and in a week – 34 forest fires, which is equal to the area of the regional city of Volokolamsk in Moscow region.

russia loses millions of hectares of forest every year due to huge natural fires, but the real scale of the disaster remains hidden. Official statistics records only part of the burnt areas, while in fact the figures are much higher.

The real scale of forest fires is times larger than the official figures – in the first half of 2025 alone, about 9.5 million hectares were burnt, compared to the declared 2.7 million.

Agricultural land (approximately 4 million hectares per year) and land belonging to the ministry of defense are not included in the reports. It is on military training grounds that large-scale fires most often break out. For example, in April 2025, a fire at the “Krasny Yar”  training ground near Chita, which spread to nearby villages, took 20 days to be extinguished.

The problem lies not only in reporting, but also in the chronic shortage of firefighters. In 2024, the staff was understaffed by almost a quarter. Therefore, it is not surprising that forest fund tenants who do not help extinguish fires will be subject to sanctions – they will be deprived of their licenses. The Transbaikal authorities have already warned about this. And in general, russia has already proposed increasing fines for those responsible for fires.

After forest fires, the areas are not restored but turn into “dead land”.  Nevertheless, instead of investing in environmental safety, the kremlin is spending resources on the war against Ukraine, while russian forests, fields, and villages continue to burn.