Three firefighters deployed to battle the devastating wildfires in Russia’s Far East Zabaikalsky region were found dead on Friday, the region’s environment ministry announced.
The news comes just days after the region’s fire safety chief Rinat Khismatulin resigned “at his own initiative.”
Andrei Abramov, Andrei Alekmensky and Alexander Nazimov went missing on April 23 after leaving their deployment camp in the Tungokochensky district to buy food in the nearby village of Kyker.
At least 30 people, including local volunteers, were involved in search-and-rescue efforts, according to local media.
Volunteers found the missing men’s belongings in the forest on Thursday before finding their bodies a day later.
The regional Investigative Committee has launched a criminal probe into the incident.
The Zabaikalsky region, where a federal-level state of emergency was introduced last month, accounted for more than 87% of the total area engulfed by wildfires across Russia as of early Friday, according to the country’s Aerial Forest Protection Service.
As many as 813 firefighting specialists, including those from other parts of Russia, were deployed to fight wildfires in the region, according to the agency.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
