‘Every summer the forest burns’: Photographer Denis Sinyakov captures the battle against Siberia’s devastating wildfires

Catastrophic wildfires are still sweeping Russia's Siberian region of Yakutia. The authorities declared an "interregional state of emergency" on Saturday, August 13. According to the Federal Agency for Forestry (Rosleskhoz), since the start of 2021, fires have destroyed more than seven million hectares (about 17.3 million acres) of forest - an area the size of Ireland or Georgia. NASA said that at the beginning of August, smoke from Yakutia's wildfires reached the North Pole. Earlier this month, photographer Denis Sinyakov spent several days in Yakutia's Ust-Aldansky District alongside the people who are charged with fighting the forest fires - the smokejumpers from the Aerial Forest Protection Service (Avialesokhrana). Meduza shares Denis Sinyakov's photographs and recollections here. Original Article: https://meduza.io/en/feature/2021/08/16/every-summer-the-forest-burns