Putin puts out two wildfires in central Russia

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Tuesday took part in extinguishing forest fires in Ryazan Region on board an amphibious firefighting airplane.

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Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Tuesday took part in extinguishing forest fires in Ryazan Region on board an amphibious firefighting airplane.

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Putin was the co-pilot for half an hour aboard a Be-200 plane scooping up water from the nearby Oka River and dumping it on raging forest fires some 200 kilometers southeast of Moscow.

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He dumped approximately 12 tons of water on each of two fires, extinguishing both completely.

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Putin initially sat in the cabin in front of a thermal imaging monitor together with Emergency Situations Minister Sergei Shoigu and Ryazan Governor Oleg Kovalev.
However, shortly after takeoff Putin suddenly entered the cockpit and sat in the co-pilot's seat.

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During the flight, Putin observed the operation of another Be-200 that was also dousing fires from a minimum height.

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He also spotted a fresh steppe fire in dangerous proximity to two villages.
Governor Kovalev, still airborne, immediately issued instructions to the local authorities to take measures to extinguish it.