Updated on
Summary
Russia's leaders declared a state of emergency on Monday in seven provinces and ordered authorities to guard weapons storage facilities from wildfires that have killed at least 40 people.Thousands more have lost their homes to blazes stoked by Russia's worst heatwave since the tsarist era. The heat has parched crops in one of the world's largest grain exporting nations, helping drive global grain prices to 22-month highs. This is a great tragedy. The state understands its responsibilities. I gave orders to the government and the regional authorities to allocate financial aid to each person who was affected by fires, President Dmitry Medvedev said. With little relief expected this week, he urged Russians to take care in tinder-dry forests and fields, warning that every match tossed away could lead to irreparable disaster. Medvedev's emergency decree covered European Russian regions from Voronezh in the south to several Volga River areas and the densely populated province ringing Moscow. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin ordered authorities to protect weapons sites, power plants and other vital facilities. Nearly 700 wildfires were burning on Monday over 1,210 square kilometers of land, a spokeswoman for the Emergency Situations Ministry told.
