Overview
- Regional investigators announced a criminal negligence inquiry on Wednesday after six people were killed by bears in Krasnoyarsk region within a month.
- Irkutsk’s governor declared a state of emergency as local authorities logged more than 1,500 sightings near settlements and warned residents to avoid forests.
- Environment officials pointed to an acute mast failure—scarce cedar nuts, hazelnuts, berries and mushrooms—that has left bears searching for food in villages.
- Social media footage and resident reports show bears moving through streets, swimming across rivers and entering towns such as Abasa, where officials say the community is effectively surrounded.
- The probe will examine whether local authorities failed to curb feeding, control illegal dumps or adjust wildlife management as Russia’s brown bear population has risen sharply since 1990, a trend that may force changes in hunting rules, waste policy and emergency response.