We can’t confirm that two UR-77 Meteorit missile-firing mine clearing vehicles were actually used to help control a wildfire in Siberia, but that is the report. The missile may be towing detonation cord, which is sometimes used by wildland firefighters to build fireline or to fell a dangerous snag.
A photo posted by Федеральная Авиалесоохрана (@avialesookhrana) on
Google’s machines translated the caption:
“avialesookhranaV 2012 Federal dispatch Forest Service was established. Employees FDR conducted daily monitoring of the forest fire situation in the territory of the forest and lands of other categories. It provides complete information on the dynamics of the forest fire situation, a buildup of forces and means for extinguishing forest fires in the regions of Russia for the operational staff of the Federal Forestry Agency.
FDR Specialists are also operators of hotline forest protection, which according to a single toll-free number 8-800-100-94-00 round the clock our citizens informed about various incidents in the forest -. Fire, illegal logging, garbage dumps, etc., and also receive advice on matters of mutual interest.
Foresters are grateful to all those who did not remain indifferent and told about what they saw smoke, landfill or illegal logging.
Lesnoypozhar # # # Forest flame heroism # # # paratroopers paratroopers fire # # # fire lesnoy_pozharny #Avialesookhrana #Forest #fire #firefighter #smokejumpers # lesnyepozhary #bomberos # Aviation #firefighterslife # flame #helicopter #aviation #aviales # extreme #air #plane #sky #bombeiros # # aviation Avialesookhrana”
And then there’s this, which appears to be about prescribed fire:
A photo posted by Федеральная Авиалесоохрана (@avialesookhrana) on
Google’s translation:
“We give the opportunity to burn a large forest debris (waste), releasing a fire in the forest. Then we bring down the flame
We give the opportunity to burn forest debris. We produce fire in the forest. then extinguish the flames
____
# # Avialesookhrana FFA KhMAO # # # Soviet Yugorsk #avialesookhrana #rosleshoz #hmao #smokejumpers #smokejumper #firefighter #firefighters #bomberos #russia #yugorsk #sovetskiy
patriotic.usMy God!”
While the government of Siberia reported on May 26 that 319,000 acres (129,000 hectares) had burned this year, environmental activists insist the number is far higher. Greenpeace Russia believes officials and regional authorities intentionally announce figures that underestimate the scale of forest fires. Using open source satellite data, Greenpeace says about 7.4 million acres (3 million hectares) have burned as of May 23.
Below is an excerpt from an article at the Siberian Times:
…Rosleskhoz, the Federal Agency for Forestry, a federal executive body responsible for oversight of forestry issues, admitted that official figures from regions may be at odds with the actual area of raging fires. Among other reasons this could be ‘because of political factors’.
The agency promised to provide correct data about damage at the end of the [fire] season.
Nikolai Krotov, deputy head of Rosleskhoz, said: ‘We have concerns about differences in Amur region, Buryatia, Chelyabinsk and Irkutsk regions. We don’t rule out that there can be political factors, subjective factors, when information is submitted in a different way.’
Greenpeace has argued for information in real time, not at the end of the season, so fire-fighting resources can be switched between regions to be deployed in most needed areas.
Wildfire smoke map, May 22, 2016. Weatherunderground
Wildfires in Siberia may be to blame for some of the smoke that has passed over Alaska and northern Canada in recent days. Meanwhile, fires in Saskatchewan and Manitoba are contributing to the smoky skies in Ontario, Canada and the Midwest in the United States.
Below is a video showing a vehicle in the Chernyshevsky District of Russia, 300 km from Chita, driving through smoke near a wildfire. It was uploaded May 17, 2016.
A photo posted by Федеральная Авиалесоохрана (@avialesookhrana) on
This Instagram was posted by the Russian Aerial Forest Protection Service, an account that frequently has photos of their smokejumpers.
Here is Google’s attempt to translate the caption (without the hashtags):
Main reason for early spring fires – a massive unauthorized burning of dry grass in the fields, suburban areas. Under the influence of wind fire lightning moves on settlements, economic facilities, in forests and on the moors, spares neither people nor animals.
Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories Uncategorized2 Comments on Mine clearing missile reportedly used to help control wildfire in Russia 
