
Western Russia has been suffering from unrelentingly scorching temperatures since mid-June, with no apparent end in sight. The heat has been so intense that spontaneous wildfires have been springing up over the past month both in large cities and more rural areas.
Aside from the resulting toxic air quality, the fires are responsible for the deaths of at least 48 people and the destruction of about 3,000 homes. The Emergency Situations Ministry has admitted that some of them are "out of control,” and a state of emergency has been declared in seven different regions. Critics blame the ministry and the Russian government overall for failing to properly fund and manage the country’s firefighting forces.
Writing for the Moscow Times, award-winning journalist Yulia Latynina discusses what the Russian government’s handling of the fire crisis says about its current state of development – and why it is totally unacceptable by contemporary standards.
Putin Sang Songs While Russia Burned
By Yulia Latynina
August 4, ...