NOVO-OGARYOVO, July 21. /TASS/. Russia faced another test of the coronavirus pandemic in the summer of 2021, President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with cabinet members on Wednesday.
"This summer turns out to be another trialing time for us in terms of the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. As we all can see, the situation is very difficult. Clearly, people are tired," he noted.
Putin also pointed out that a record heatwave was creating other pressing problems. The head of state noted that long periods of hot weather, dry thunderstorms and lack of rains triggered wildfires. This is why, in his words, it was impossible to escape disaster this year. "Some regions managed to promptly respond to emerging wildfires and put out most of them. However, there were regions that failed to do it… particularly because fires are raging through remote areas," Putin said, adding that forest fires were burning in the Sakha, Karelia and Chelyabinsk regions.
At the same time, Russia’s regions are also exposed to river flooding. Putin requested that the heads of the regions facing those natural disasters report about the current situation.