Number of Russians Killed by Bears Hits Record in Recent Weeks

Russia has recorded an unusual wave of fatal brown-bear attacks, with at least five people killed across several regions in just three weeks. Victims included a tourist in Altai, two mushroom pickers in Krasnoyarsk, a local man and a cattle herder in Buryatia. Officials blame seasonal activity, food shortages, forest fires, accessible waste and a growing bear population. Authorities have imposed high-alert regimes, restricted movement and authorized the killing of hundreds of bears, while biologists call for better waste management