A record number of people killed in fires has been recorded in Russia. One possible cause of the blazes may have been Ukrainian drone strikes

A record number of people killed in fires has been recorded in Russia. One possible cause of the blazes may have been Ukrainian drone strikes

In the first quarter of 2026, 3,025 people died in fires in Russia. This is a record for at least the past eight years. This is stated in Emergency Ministry statistics highlighted by Verstka.

Compared with the same period in 2025, the death toll increased by 783 people, nearly 35%. The previous maximum was recorded in the first quarter of 2021, when 2,986 people died in fires.

The number of people injured was also a record. From January to March 2026, 3,103 people were injured in fires, 46.7% more than a year earlier.

Also, the total number of fires became the highest in eight years at 94,529. For comparison, 65,746 fires occurred in the first quarter of 2025, according to Emergency Ministry data.

🟪Russian authorities regularly report fires after drone strikes. In the past 24 hours alone, according to local operational headquarters, industrial facilities caught fire in three regions: Krasnodar Krai, Astrakhan Oblast, and Yaroslavl.

🟪In addition, as Reuters writes, in March Ukraine stepped up attacks on Russian oil and fuel infrastructure: the largest ports in Novorossiysk, Primorsk, and Ust-Luga were hit.

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