Large-scale fires in Russian forests this year were facilitated by the introduction of so-called control zones, in which fires were not fought at all.
Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation Igor Krasnov announced this while speaking in the State Duma, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“The negative consequences of the introduction of so-called control zones several years ago are alarming. This is when fires are not extinguished, but simply watched. They accounted for half of all burned forests - 5,2 million hectares. Moreover, the regional fire-fighting commissions enter the parameters of such zones at their own discretion. I consider it necessary to clearly establish standards for control zones in the Forestry Code,” Krasnov said.
The area of forest fires in Russia has increased by 9% this year. The fire burned 10 million hectares.