Press Release, 13.08.2021

Photo: Anatoly Nogovitsyn, Chairman of the Yakutsk branch of Yabloko / Photo by the Press Service of the regional branch of Yabloko

Since the beginning of summer, Yakutia has been experiencing the most massive forest fires in the history of the region. Fire from the forest spreads to settlements, the volunteers cannot cope. Activists and environmentalists have been writing about this from the very first days, trying to draw attention of the authorities to the disaster, and also whipping up support. The area covered by the forest fires in Yakutia exceeded 7 million hectares.

The regional branch of Yabloko in Yakutia has been trying to draw the attention of regional and federal authorities to the environmental disaster since mid-July and seeking intensification of measures for extinguishing of forest fires:

On 17 July, the regional branch of Yabloko demanded to introduce an emergency regime throughout the Republic of Sakha/Yakutia (at that time, the emergency operated only in the forests) and called on Aisen Nikolayev, head of the Republic of Sakha, to demand assistance from the federal authorities;

On 22 July, a joint statement by the Yabloko party and the Yakutia branch of Yabloko was published, Yabloko demanded to help Yakutia and forget the practices of not putting out forest fires;

On 3 August, Anatoly Nogovitsyn, Chairman of the regional branch of Yabloko and a candidate for the State Duma, demanded that Vladimir Putin send aviation to Yakutia to extinguish forest fires, namely at least three BE-200 aircraft, five IL-76 and three MI-8 helicopters;

On 6 August, Anatoly Nogovitsyn held a single picket demanding that the President fulfill the request of 3 August;

On 10 August, Anatoly Nogovitsyn, Chairman of the regional branch of Yabloko and a candidate for the State Duma, appealed to the head of the Republic Aisen Nikolayev to increase the lump payment to the families of those who lost their homes and property from forest fires in the village Byas-Kyuyol from 30,000 roubles to 500,000 roubles;

On 11 August, there came a report about the first human vicitm from forest fires, a volunteer died next to the village of Mugudai, Churapchinsky region;

On 13 August, Anatoly Nogovitsyn, Chairman of the regional branch of Yabloko and a candidate for the State Duma, demanded the resignation of the head of the Republic Aisen Nikolayev for a complete failure in the fight against forest fires, which caused the death of a person.