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Forest fires in Siberia double in size in 24 hours reaching 54,000 hectares

Half of the fires are located in the Irkutsk region where they swelled by three times, reaching 27,000 hectares

MOSCOW, June 23. /TASS/. Forest fires in Siberia doubled in size in the past 24 hours, reaching 54,000 hectares, Russia’s federal aerial forest protection service Avialesokhrana said in a statement on Friday.

"As of June 23, forest fires in Siberia engulf 54,000 hectares, in the past 24 hours the fires have doubled in size," the statement reads.

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Siberia’s forest fires quadruple to engulf 30,000 hectares

Half of the fires are located in the Irkutsk region where they swelled by three times, reaching 27,000 hectares. In the Krasnoyarsk region, fires engulfing 15,000 hectares have been registered, while in the Republic of Tuva forest fires cover 7,400 hectares, and in the Republic of Buryatia fires have affected 2,300 hectares. Fires have particularly been registered in Buryatia’s Tunkinsky National Park and the Baikalsky Natural Reserve, as well as in the Pribaikalsky National Park located in the Irkutsk region, in the Sayano-Shushensky Natural Reserve and the Shushensky Bor National Park in the Krasnoyarsk region.

More than 500 people are combating the blazes in the Krasnoyarsk region where 48 fires are active covering over 14,700 hectares. Hot spots of fire have been registered in 15 districts.

Meanwhile, Avialesokhrana’s 50 paratroopers have arrived in the Republic of Tuva from the Krasnoyarsk region to help battle large wildfires.

Thunderstorms without rain causing wildfires

New fires in the Republic of Buryatia are being caused by thunderstorms without rain, a source in the regional Forestry Agency said. As of the morning of June 23, a total of 25 fires are active in Buryatia, 20 of them covering 2,450 hectares, while the other five, affecting around 40 hectares, have been contained.

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Death toll from fires in Russia’s Krasnoyarsk region rises to three

"Two fires are being fought in the Tunkinsky National Park, which cover 134 hectares. A decision has been made to send personnel from Avialesokhrana’s federal reserve to combat the blazes," a source in the agency said. "Besides, another hot spot of fire has been detected in a hard-to-reach area in the Baikalsky Natural Reserve," he added.

More than 700 people are fighting wildfires in the region, the state of emergency is still in effect.

According to the Transbaikal region’s Ministry of Natural Resources, as of Friday morning, there are three forest fires covering 25 hectares. Another three wildfires affecting 1,766 hectares have been contained. There is no threat to human settlements. Firefighting activities involve 218 people, including 119 paratroopers, and 35 pieces of equipment.

Situation in Far East

According to the Forestry Agency of the Far Eastern Federal District, in the past 24 hours, 48 forest fires engulfing 12,100 hectares were extinguished. Most fires have been recorded in the Republic of Yakutia, where they affected more than 10,000 in the past 24 hours. There are also forest fires active in the Amur, Magadan and Khabarovsk regions, as well as on the Chukotka Peninsula.

More than 300 people have been combating the fires using 32 pieces of equipment and six aircraft. By Friday morning, two fires in Yakutia were extinguished.

Unmanned aerial vehicles deployed to the Eastern Military District are being used to monitor the forest fire situation in the Far East and Transbaikalia.

Israeli-Palestinian conflict

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According to Al Jazeera, Israeli security forces have killed at least five people over the past 24 hours

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Kiev lacks both troops and equipment near Chasov Yar in DPR, says retired general

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Earlier, the "Columbine" movement was recognized a terror group

Ukrainians abroad storming embassies to avoid mobilization, Russian diplomat says

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Iran threatens to attack Israel's "nuclear centers" in case of aggression on its part

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Earlier, it was reported that Ukraine had developed a UAV with a range of up to 3,000 kilometers

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According to the media outlet, "the US administration will support the plan for a military operation in Rafah put forward earlier," which provides for dividing the city into numbered sectors that will be mopped up one by one

Swiss parliament votes against joining task force on frozen Russian assets

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No plans for pauses in fighting if talks on Ukraine begin, Lavrov says

The Russian foreign minister emphasized that the situation on the ground had changed significantly

Israeli aviation strikes towns in Gaza Strip

According to Al Jazeera, air strikes hit the towns of Deir al Balah and Rafah

Ukrainian drone damages energy infrastructure in Russia’s Kaluga Region

There are no casualties, Governor Vladislav Shapsha said

Russian economy positively influences neighboring countries — Deputy PM

In 2023 the Russian economy has demonstrated remarkable resilience and growth, Alexey Overchuk said

Kiev ordered mandatory evacuation from Kharkov Region to accommodate mercenaries

Evacuation campaigns are regularly organized by the Kiev government, under the pretext of security issues

Russian stock indices rising on Friday

The MOEX Russia Index edged up by 0.44%, the RTS Index surged by 1.13%

Russia to scrap moratorium on intermediate missiles if US deploys them anywhere — MFA

Sergey Ryabkov said the US seeks to maintain military superiority in a great variety of areas

North Korea conducts new anti-aircraft missile test — KCNA

A power test of a super-large warhead designed for "Hwasal-1 Ra-3" strategic cruise missile was held as well

World’s anti-doping agency WADA still waits for Russia’s 2023 financial contribution

Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin said in February that the Russian side had agreed with WADA to pay the membership fee for the year of 2023

Russian instructors help train over 10,000 Central African troops — CAR president

According to Faustin-Archange Touadera, since becoming the president, his actions have been guided by the need "to modernize the army and take into account new challenges"

West wants to make Transnistria hotbed of tension — Lavrov

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Polish premier refuses to hand over his country’s Patriot systems to Ukraine

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Fox News said the Jewish state delivered a limited strike on Iran

NATO discussing transfer of ‘deep precision strike capabilities’ to Ukraine — Stoltenberg

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Lavrov labels way West ramping up sanctions against Russia as mindless

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French president says creating Israeli-type air defense network for Ukraine impossible

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Armenia’s relations with Russia not at their highest — top diplomat

Ararat Mirzoyan also said that Yerevan is currently making efforts to expand cooperation with the European Union and the United States

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Earlier, Ukrainian Foreign Minister said Kiev required US-made Patriot systems and Italian-French Samp-T theatre antimissile systems

Iran may target Israeli nuclear center in Dimona in case of Israel’s attack — TV

Ahmad Haghtalab said on April 18 that Tehran has identified the location of Israel's "nuclear centers" and will be ready to destroy them in case the Jewish state responds to the recent Iranian attack on Israeli military facilities

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Three Ukrainian soldiers swim across Dnieper to surrender to Russian troops — governor

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Ukrainian POW exposes poor battlefield performance of NATO-supplied Javelins, NLAWs

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Unidentified man attempts suicide outside courthouse where Trump trial is underway

The man set himself on fire

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FACTBOX: Collective Security Treaty Organization

The Collective Security Treaty came into force on April 20, 1994 to herald the emergence what would eventually become the Collective Security Treaty Organization. The six member-countries are Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan

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Top stories from the Russian press on Friday, April 19th

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Russia knows French military instructors working in Ukraine — Lavrov

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Russian military base may appear in CAR’s eastern region — President Touadera

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Blast rocks military base south of Baghdad — Reuters

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Russia’s advanced radar in Kaliningrad to monitor entire territory of Europe — source

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Ukrainian trace obvious in Crocus City Hall attack — Russian prosecutor general

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Global economy’s condition improving — Russian Deputy PM

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BRICS looking at creating common digital payment platform

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Moscow International Film Festival kicks off

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Russian forces destroy Ukrainian command post, two S-300 missile launchers over day

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US volunteer Russel Bentley missing in Donetsk killed — RT editor-in-chief

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Military base near Iran’s Isfahan hit following attack — newspaper

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Two pilots of jet that crashed in southern Russia hospitalized

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