Let it burn: Russia faces risk of massive wildfires this year due to war-driven budget cuts

Controlled burns of dry grass, carried out under the supervision of forest and fire services, are theoretically intended to prevent larger wildfires. However, experts argue that in practice, these burns only dry out trees and shrubs, creating the perfect conditions for flames to spread.

Instead of preventing disasters, human activity often turns forests into an even more fire-prone environment. In 2019, the Amur Region abandoned the springtime preventive burning of grass and deadwood. As a result, the total burned area was reduced several times over, and the region fell out of the list of Russia’s most wildfire-prone areas.

Climate change is also exacerbating the problem. Warmer, drier weather shifts the start of wildfire season to an earlier date, effectively extending the burning period. As a result, some forests in Russia now burn almost year-round.

What’s hindering firefighting efforts?

Russia chronically underfunds its wildfire response organizations. On the surface, 2025's budget for wildfire prevention appears to be 40% higher than that of 2024, totaling 19.9 billion rubles ($232.4 million). However, this increase is largely symbolic — in 2023 and 2024, wildfire protection funding barely changed, while Russia's real inflation rate far exceeds the official 9.5%.

Given Russia’s vast territory, letting forests burn is often seen as being cheaper and more practical than trying to extinguish fires, especially if the blaze starts far from aerial firefighting bases or in remote areas lacking infrastructure.

At the same time — and in stark contrast to its extensive spending on military propaganda — Russia spends almost nothing on fire prevention campaigns. The lack of prioritization is surprising given the fact that fire prevention efforts have proven highly effective in the past. In 2018–2020, a public awareness campaign in Buryatia led by Avialesokhrana, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, and various NGOs helped reduce wildfires by 30%, as locals became more aware of how to prevent and respond to them.

Still, the most critical challenge to Russia’s firefighting efforts is its shortage of personnel and equipment. In 2024, the Fire Protection Service in Tomsk Oblast, which operates separately from the Emergency Ministry, reported a 65% staffing shortage. Firefighters in the region earn 24,000 rubles per month (approximately $260 USD) even after all bonuses are tallied up. Some earn below Russia’s minimum wage of 19,000 rubles ($205 USD).

Firefighters in the Novosibirsk Region operating under the Ministry of Emergency Situations earn more — 61,000 rubles ($660 USD). But these wages pale in comparison to Russian contract soldiers, who receive 210,000 rubles ($2,270 USD) per month, along with a one-time bonus of 1.2 million rubles ($13,000 USD) for signing a contract.