Russian military aviation extinguishes wildfires on 113,000 hectares
Russian Defense Ministry's aviation has extinguished 84 wildfires on the territory of 113,000 hectares in Siberia in the last two days, the ministry's press service said on Friday, according to TASS news agency report.
Il-76 aircraft from Russian Aerospace Defense Forces performed 34 flights and dumped over 1,400 tones of water. Mi-8 military helicopters dumped around 550 tones of water in the areas engulfed by wildfires.
A state of emergency over wildfires was declared in Irkutsk and Krasnoyarsk regions, as well as in two Buryatia districts and one Yakutia district. On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered 10 aircraft and 10 helicopters from the Russian Defense Ministry to join firefighting efforts in Siberia.