KALININGRAD (Sputnik) – Large-scale tactical exercises on extinguishing forest fires are kicking off on Thursday in Russia's Kaliningrad Region, amid continuing wildfires in the Siberian Federal District.
Over 20 units of special equipment and more than 100 people, including representatives of Lithuanian and Polish fire departments, will take part in the drills that will last for two days, a spokesman for a regional forestry agency told RIA Novosti on Thursday.
Meanwhile in the Republic of Khakassia, almost 40 settlements have been affected by wildfires that killed 34 people and left 5,000 others without homes.
Repair work is underway in all Siberian regions affected by wildfires.
The Kaliningrad Region has no land connection to the rest of Russia and is surrounded by Poland, Lithuania and the Baltic Sea. In 2014, several major fires occurred in the region, destroying over 12 hectares (30 acres) of forest area.
