There’s some seriously scary stuff going on in Russia, and I’m hardly seeing anyone talking about it.
Russia has been experiencing a terrible heatwave since July (we’re talking 40° and persistent drought), and that’s been causing massive wildfires (think hundreds of new fires a day). Those fires are cropping up near very populated areas and spreading rapidly—devouring towns, devastating crops, and causing terrible pollution in major cities. The smoke and heat have already doubled the death toll in Moscow. If that weren’t bad enough, the wildfires have started approaching nuclear facilities (Mayak and Sarov) and places still heavily contaminated by the Chernobyl disaster (the Bryansk region). Russian officials are moving nuclear and explosive material and intensifying fire-fighting efforts, which seems to be succeeding at keeping it at bay. But if the fires were to reach those areas, it would create massive new zones of radioactive pollution.
The videos I’ve seen all look apocalyptic. It’s terrifying.
