Russia burning as more than 130 fires ravage region bordering Ukraine | World | News

Devastating wildfires have been sweeping through large parts of a Russia region bordering Ukraine as firefighters tackle more than 130 blazes in just 24 hours.

Rostov Oblast is a Russian territory bordering eastern Ukraine from where Russian President Vladimir Putin has been sending his troops into the killing grounds of Ukrainian cities like Mariupol and Donetsk.

But Mother Nature appears to be lending a hand to Ukrainian forces in recent days with an outbreak of fires in Rostov scorching forests and farmland alike.

According to local Russian media reports, Sergei Filippov, Head of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations for the Rostov Region, said 135 fires occurred in the region over the past 24 hours.

Authorities said extreme heat and dry conditions, coupled with careless human activity, had been the cause of the fires.

Images issued by the Russian Ministry for Emergency Situations showed firefighters tackling numerous large blazes, and rivers of flames burning in woodland.

In photos shared on the social media site X by @LXSummer1, the night sky in Rostov can be seen turning red from the light of flames burning over a larger area.

Authorities have said the majority of fires have now been extinguished but extreme danger alerts remain in place for 27 municipalites in the oblast.

According to Russian news site Rostof.ru, a 55-year-old man suspected of causing a fire in the Millerovsky district of the Rostov has been detained.

It’s said investigators of the State Fire Supervision Service believe the man had been burning grass in his garden when the flames were whipped up by the wind and spread.

At present a special fire prevention order remains in place for the entire Rostov Oblast and those found breaking the rules of the order could face a fine of up to 20,000 rubles, around £165.