Average temperatures in the north of the Kara and Barents seas were 4C to 5C higher than previous years.

'And I very much hope that the law in Russian is not an empty vessel, and the people in our country are prohibited from eating one another'.

Ideas are clearly needed for more effective ways of countering the annual wildfire scourge, as the trend remains towards drier and hotter summers.

Greenpeace claim authorities underestimate the scale of destruction, amid warnings of lack of resources to fight fires. 

Entertainment resort with a golf course in summer and ski area in winter set to be built as part of 24 billion rouble project.

Recent reports showed 89 wildfires in Siberia and 25 in the Russian Far East as a new season of damage to forests gets underway.