Back to the trend of the day: Hungry bears are killing people in Siberia, and hunters are sent out
Poly Rating · from the trend of the day

Bear Attacks in Russia 2026: Top 9 Regions to Watch

Russia usually records 20–30 bear attacks in a whole year, yet media counted at least 16 deaths in September 2026 alone, seven of them in Krasnoyarsk Krai.

  • No. 1: Irkutsk Oblast
  • 9 places

01Final list

The leading AIs each built their own list of ten independently. Here is one result that is easy to check: every place has a reason, a source, and the list of AIs that included it.

Order: from most to least AI agreement.

A bright badge means this AI put the entry on its list. A dim badge means it did not.

  1. 1

    Irkutsk Oblast

    Second deadliest: 5 deaths in most tallies, 7 in a later one that counts October cases. Berry pickers were killed, and 483 bears were shot by 14 October.

    Included it: Claude, Meta, Gemini, DeepSeek. Did not include: ChatGPT.

    In their lists: Claude: 2 · Meta: 3 · Gemini: 2 · DeepSeek: 2

    What each AI noted 4
    • Claudeplace 2

      Five deaths in September–October, including two berry pickers near Kirensk, with 22.4k bears in a region where people still go into the forest for berries.

      Source ↗
    • Metaplace 3

      5 deaths since spring including pensioner mushroom picking — 22,400 bears next to taiga villages

      Source ↗
    • Geminiplace 2

      At least 2 berry pickers killed in September 2026 as bears roam near rural settlements

      Source ↗
    • DeepSeekplace 2

      Five deaths and 483 bears shot — the second-deadliest region, with 22,400 bears and 580,000 hectares burned.

      Source ↗
    4 AIs put it here
    Source ↗
  2. 2

    Altai Republic

    One tourist killed in her tent on 19 August set off the season's first big response: more than 50 bears shot, 157 more permits and a curfew.

    Included it: Claude, Meta, Gemini, DeepSeek. Did not include: ChatGPT.

    In their lists: Claude: 4 · Meta: 2 · Gemini: 5 · DeepSeek: 8

    What each AI noted 4
    • Claudeplace 4

      One death in August set off the biggest response of the season: more than 50 bears shot and 157 more permits, against a 1,134-bear quota.

      Source ↗
    • Metaplace 2

      Tourists attacked in tent in August, then 50+ bears shot with 157 more permits in 2 days

    • Geminiplace 5

      Issued 157 emergency cull permits and killed over 50 bears after severe autumn food shortage

      Source ↗
    • DeepSeekplace 8

      One tourist killed in her tent, then 55 bears shot under 157 permits — a ratio of one bear per roughly 3,800 people.

      Source ↗
    4 AIs put it here
    Source ↗
  3. 3

    Kamchatka Krai

    3 deaths (two tallies; one other source confirms only one) among just 288,200 residents, with 24.2k bears. Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky declared an emergency regime.

    Included it: Claude, Meta, Gemini, DeepSeek. Did not include: ChatGPT.

    In their lists: Claude: 5 · Meta: 4 · Gemini: 8 · DeepSeek: 5

    What each AI noted 4
    • Claudeplace 5

      24.2k bears and a bear quota of 3,443, yet a watchman was killed on 19 September. Bear approaches here are long-standing.

      Source ↗
    • Metaplace 4

      24,200 bears and 3 deaths, including 23-year-old berry picker this week — highest bear density near settlements

      Source ↗
    • Geminiplace 8

      Highest brown bear density per square kilometer with mandatory park closures and armed ranger patrols

    • DeepSeekplace 5

      Three deaths in a region of only 288,200 people — the highest bear density per person among the top regions, with 24,200 bears.

      Source ↗
    4 AIs put it here
    Source ↗
  4. More about the top three ↓
  5. 4

    Buryatia

    2 deaths, but 15–20 bear reports a day and 331 bears shot by 3 October. In Zakamensk schools moved to remote lessons after a bear entered the town.

    Included it: Claude, Meta, Gemini, DeepSeek. Did not include: ChatGPT.

    In their lists: Claude: 8 · Meta: 5 · Gemini: 3 · DeepSeek: 4

    What each AI noted 4
    • Claudeplace 8

      A 70-year-old escaped a bear by climbing a tree while another man died near Khurtaga, and Tunkinsky National Park has restrictions.

      Source ↗
    • Metaplace 5

      2 schools and a technical college went remote after bear appeared inside town of Zakamensk

    • Geminiplace 3

      Fatal mauling near Khurtaga village in September 2026 triggered emergency forest buffer patrols

      Source ↗
    • DeepSeekplace 4

      Two deaths but 331 bears killed — and 15–20 reports a day of bears near settlements, with 24 hunting brigades deployed.

      Source ↗
    4 AIs put it here
    Source ↗
  6. 5

    Khabarovsk Krai

    Russia's second-largest bear population (26.2k, an estimate), almost equal to Krasnoyarsk's, yet only 1 death, so its warning rests on bear numbers rather than attacks.

    Included it: Claude, Meta, Gemini, DeepSeek. Did not include: ChatGPT.

    In their lists: Claude: 9 · Meta: 7 · Gemini: 10 · DeepSeek: 9

    What each AI noted 4
    • Claudeplace 9

      26.2k bears, almost as many as Krasnoyarsk, but only a listed incident region, with no deaths found in the sources read.

      Source ↗
    • Metaplace 7

      26,200 bears — second-largest population — with expanding sightings near Khabarovsk suburbs

    • Geminiplace 10

      Combination of wildfire displacement and poor salmon runs forced emergency response teams into high alert

      Source ↗
    • DeepSeekplace 9

      One death, but 26,200 bears — the second-largest bear population in Russia — and only 1.27 million people spread across a vast territory.

      Source ↗
    4 AIs put it here
    Source ↗
  7. 6

    Kemerovo Oblast (Kuzbass)

    No confirmed deaths, but the governor blames fires for driving bears in, and Kuzbass set up "forest canteens" (feeding stations) to keep them out of villages.

    Included it: Claude, Meta, Gemini. Did not include: ChatGPT, DeepSeek.

    In their lists: Claude: 7 · Meta: 8 · Gemini: 6

    What each AI noted 3
    • Claudeplace 7

      The governor blames fires for pushing bears into Kuzbass, and the region built "forest canteens" (feeding stations) to keep bears from villages.

      Source ↗
    • Metaplace 8

      Fisherman fought off bear August 19 — western Siberia gateway where forest fires pushed bears out early

      Source ↗
    • Geminiplace 6

      Elderly woman survived attack in Novokuznetsk as police responded with live force inside urban limits

      Source ↗
    3 AIs put it here
    Source ↗
  8. 7

    Tuva (Tyva)

    One death, a fisherman who was an NHL player's father, but 11 of 17 districts are on high alert, and officials warn of hungry bears in spring.

    Included it: Claude, Meta, DeepSeek. Did not include: ChatGPT, Gemini.

    In their lists: Claude: 3 · Meta: 9 · DeepSeek: 7

    What each AI noted 3
    • Claudeplace 3

      A high alert in 11 of 17 districts, and the ministry warns of a second wave of hungry, non-hibernating bears in spring.

      Source ↗
    • Metaplace 9

      1 death but listed among core anomaly cluster with Altai, Krasnoyarsk, Buryatia, Irkutsk

      Source ↗
    • DeepSeekplace 7

      One death — the father of an NHL player — in a republic of 338,500 people with 3,466 bears and 378 shooting permits issued.

      Source ↗
    3 AIs put it here
    Source ↗
  9. 8

    Khakassia

    No deaths reported, yet officials said the town of Abaza was effectively under siege, and 226 bears were shot by 16 October, up from an early count of 120.

    Included it: Claude, DeepSeek. Did not include: ChatGPT, Meta, Gemini.

    In their lists: Claude: 6 · DeepSeek: 6

    What each AI noted 2
    • Claudeplace 6

      More than 120 bears culled (one article says over 125) and an expert says the population has been above the norm for a second year.

      Source ↗
    • DeepSeekplace 6

      No human deaths reported, but the town of Abaza was described as ‘effectively under siege’ and 226 bears were killed — a warning signal without a body count.

      Source ↗
    2 AIs put it here
    Source ↗
  10. 9

    Tomsk Oblast

    3 deaths, a region-wide state of heightened readiness from 25 September, and a 30,000-rouble bounty per bear. Residents are told to skip mushroom and berry trips.

    Included it: Meta, DeepSeek. Did not include: Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini.

    In their lists: Meta: 6 · DeepSeek: 3

    What each AI noted 2
    • Metaplace 6

      3 deaths since spring in region with 11,200 bears — forest presses directly against villages

    • DeepSeekplace 3

      Three deaths, a 30,000-ruble bounty per bear, and a region-wide heightened-alert regime with forest trips restricted until at least 1 November.

      Source ↗
    2 AIs put it here
    Source ↗

02More about the top three

The ranking is above. Here is more about the three places at the top: what they are, why they are here, and what is worth knowing.

Death counts are not quite comparable: they come from different sources and dates, and Irkutsk has 5 or 7 depending on the tally.

1Irkutsk Oblast

No. 1 — Irkutsk Oblast. On the lists of 4 of 5 AIs; median place there: 2. The AIs saw it as the second deadliest: several deaths, berry pickers killed, and 22,400 bears living near taiga villages.

Did you know

  • Irkutsk Oblast covers 774,846 km², the 4th largest region in Russia. It has only about 3 people per km², while the Russian average is 8.4. That leaves a lot of room for bears.

    Source ↗
What it is
A huge Siberian region where bears live close to villages and forests.
Its edge
It has the most deaths of the three: 5 in most tallies.
Who should know
Useful for anyone who picks berries or mushrooms in Siberia, and for readers following bear-season risk.
  • Bear deaths, September 20265 deaths (7 in a later tally)
  • Founded1937
  • HeadquartersRussia
  • Population2.32 million (2025)

Wikipedia · Wikidata

Why it is here

  • By 5 October, five people had died in bear attacks in Irkutsk Oblast, according to the regional Investigative Committee. That put it among the deadliest regions in the season. — (voice only)

    Source ↗
History

  • In 1879, a huge fire destroyed three-quarters of Irkutsk, including about 4,000 houses and key public buildings. The city rebuilt quickly, and its first train arrived in 1898. — (voice only)

    Source ↗
Keep in mind

  • Counts differ by source. TASS counted four bear deaths in Irkutsk Oblast by 17 September, and RIA Novosti counted five by 12 October. Russia's Natural Resources Ministry says 2026 is not a record year: it cites 30 attacks in 2025 and 166 in 2014.

    Source ↗

  • The region reports 50–60 bear sightings near villages or in town-edge forests every day. Officials approved culling of 353 bears. That could keep people out of the forest in berry and mushroom season, the very time they usually go there.

    Source ↗
Where to go further

  • Pribaikalsky National Park, on Baikal's western shore near Listvyanka, is a bird-watching spot. Up to 2,000 birds fly past in autumn. Start with the Baikal Museum and Shaman Rock. The boat from Irkutsk takes about 1 hour 20 minutes.

    Source ↗
Compare the top three ↓

2Altai Republic

No. 2 — Altai Republic. On the lists of 4 of 5 AIs; median place there: 4.5. One tourist killed in her tent triggered the season's biggest response: over 50 bears shot and 157 extra permits.

Сказка,Мечта,Красавица
Александр Лещёнок · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Did you know

  • Belukha, at 4,506 m the highest peak in Siberia, sits in the Altai Republic. One guide says it is almost equidistant from three oceans: the Pacific, the Indian and the Arctic. The page gives no source for that claim.

    Source ↗
What it is
A mountain republic in Siberia with about 4,700 bears.
Its edge
It had the sharpest official reaction to a single death: culling and a curfew.
Who should know
Useful for hikers and campers, and for anyone asking whether culling really solves the problem.
  • Bear deaths, September 20261 tourist killed
  • Founded1992
  • HeadquartersAltai Krai, Russia
  • Population210,095 (2025)

Wikipedia · Wikidata

Why it is here

  • The 19 August attack near Artybash killed a tourist. A later tally recorded one death in the Altai Republic, while other regions had several. — (voice only)

    Source ↗

  • The republic had 4.7 thousand bears, compared with 22.4 thousand in Irkutsk Oblast and 24.2 thousand in Kamchatka Krai. The fatalities therefore stand out against a much smaller bear population. — (voice only)

    Source ↗
History

  • On 3 July 1991, the Gorno-Altai region became an independent constituent part of the Russian Federation, a turning point that established the Altai Republic. — Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations, Altai Republic

    Source ↗
Keep in mind

  • Culling alone may not solve it. Zoologist Dmitry Taranenko told TASS that killing every bear near settlements would not fix the problem. Officials blame a poor nut harvest, but it is unclear how well that explanation holds up.

    Source ↗
Compare the top three ↓

3Kamchatka Krai

No. 3 — Kamchatka Krai. On the lists of 4 of 5 AIs; median place there: 5. Three deaths among only 288,200 people, with 24,200 bears nearby, make the risk per resident look very high.

Корякский, Авачинский, Козельский
Козинцев · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Did you know

  • Kamchatka's Valley of the Geysers was found only in 1941, when geologist Tatyana Ustinova discovered it. The first geyser she found was named Pervenets, which means "first-born". It lies in bear country.

    Source ↗
What it is
A remote peninsula in the Far East with many bears and few people.
Its edge
It has the most bears of the three: 24,200 for 288,200 residents.
Who should know
Useful for tourists and locals, since bears here come close to towns and fuel sites.
  • Bear deaths, September 20263 deaths, 288,200 residents
  • Founded2007
  • HeadquartersRussia
  • Population288,947 (2024)

Wikipedia · Wikidata

Why it is here

  • Regional authorities said three people had been killed by bears in Kamchatka in 2026, in Ust-Kamchatsky, Ust-Bolsheretsky and Sobolevsky districts. — (voice only)

    Source ↗
History

  • In 1952, a major earthquake off Kamchatka triggered a tsunami that struck the peninsula and the Kuril Islands, causing heavy damage and loss of life. — UNESCO Tsunami Programme

    Source ↗
Keep in mind

  • The bear broke through the fence of a fuel facility in Ust-Kamchatsk. Hunters and police were still searching for it. Kommersant calls it the second such case in Kamchatka this year. It blames a lack of food, but that explanation is not officially confirmed.

    Source ↗

  • Governor Solodov says bears approach people looking for food, and authorities are focusing on unauthorised waste dumps. Meduza notes that research shows food-seeking explains only a small share of encounters.

    Source ↗
Where to go further

  • Check the season first: the page says August and September are the best months to see bears fishing. The visit is a one-day tour behind an electric fence, with a watching platform.

    Source ↗
Compare the top three ↓

The top three side by side

Irkutsk OblastAltai RepublicKamchatka Krai
In the AIs' lists4 / 54 / 54 / 5
Bear deaths, September 20265 deaths (7 in a later tally)1 tourist killed3 deaths, 288,200 residents
Founded193719922007
HeadquartersRussiaAltai Krai, RussiaRussia
Population2.32 million (2025)210,095 (2025)288,947 (2024)
Put first by———

Places with the same number of AIs are ordered by their average place in the AIs' own lists.

More ratings

03Worth knowing

What the AIs noticed while building the list.

National death totals depend on the date and the source: 16 in September (CNN), 17 by 23 Sept (TASS), at least 21 by 30 Sept (RIA), and 26 since spring (Profile).

Noticed by:
Included it: Claude, Meta, Gemini, DeepSeek. Did not include: ChatGPT.
Source ↗

The 13 or 14 regions with attacks (official) and the more than 40 regions where bears entered settlements (TASS) count different things: a bear entering a village is not an attack.

Noticed by:
Included it: Claude, ChatGPT, Meta, DeepSeek. Did not include: Gemini.
Source ↗

Russia has about 307,900 bears, 2.3 times as many as in 1990, but the ministry says the danger comes from bears that lost their fear of people at dumps, not from the numbers alone.

Noticed by:
Included it: Claude, Meta, Gemini, DeepSeek. Did not include: ChatGPT.
Source ↗

Fire is a weak guide to where bears reach towns: Krasnoyarsk's fires burned in the far north while its attacks were in the south. Burned-area totals also range from 5 million ha (Avialesookhrana) to 16.3 million ha (satellite count of all vegetation).

Noticed by:
Included it: Claude, Meta. Did not include: ChatGPT, Gemini, DeepSeek.
Source ↗

The number of bears culled reflects alarm and permits as much as deaths: Buryatia shot 331 bears after 2 deaths, Khakassia 226 after none.

Noticed by:
Included it: DeepSeek. Did not include: Claude, ChatGPT, Meta, Gemini.
Source ↗

04Questions people ask

How many bear attacks in Russia?

The ministry normally records 20–30 attacks a year. In 2026 it recorded attacks in 13 regions from 1 Aug to 5 Oct, and media counted at least 16 deaths in September alone.

Source ↗
How many people have died in bear attacks in Russia in 2026?

At least 26 since spring by RIA's count, which Profile reports, including 7 in Krasnoyarsk and 5 in Irkutsk. Earlier tallies were 16 (CNN, September only) and 17 (TASS, 23 Sept).

Source ↗
Why do the bear attack counts differ?

Official records count attacks, while media tallies count deaths at different cutoff dates. Krasnoyarsk's September deaths are 6 in investigators' count and 7 after a later garden attack.

Source ↗
Why do bears attack?

In 2026 experts point to failed pine-nut and berry harvests, fires and open dumps. In Russia's attacks from 1932 to 2017, 38% followed provocation and 21% followed a surprise encounter.

Source ↗

05How we counted

In plain words, no formulas.

1The question

Top 10 Russian Regions Where Bear-Safety Warnings Matter Most This Autumn

2Why this topic

The reader sees which regions show several independent warning signs at once and where precautions matter most, rather than one count of incidents or one count of headlines.

3Where it applies

Russia, by region

4What we looked at

  • Verified bear encounters and fatal attacks in August–October 2026, set against each region's population and estimated bear numbers, so that size alone does not decide a region's place
  • Area burned in the 2026 fire season (Avialesookhrana) and satellite fire detections (NASA FIRMS) near settlements
  • Reported pine-nut and berry harvest failure in each region
  • How much forest lies right next to towns and villages
  • Response already in place: warnings, park closures, rapid-response teams, permits issued
  • Russian Ministry of Natural Resources (via Vesti, RBC, Izvestia) — Officially recorded bear attacks by region: 13 regions from 1 Aug to 5 Oct 2026, 14 regions to 13 Oct, against a usual 20–30 attacks
  • CNN tally of Russian media reports — At least 16 deaths across Russia in September 2026, 7 of them in Krasnoyarsk. This is a media tally, not an official series.
  • TASS, RIA and Profile running death tolls — Running count of deaths: 17 by 23 Sept (TASS) and 26 since spring with a regional split (RIA, via Profile).

5Who ranked

The leading AIs, each building its own list of ten independently and naming a source for every place: Claude, ChatGPT, Meta, Gemini, DeepSeek.

6How the places were set

The same entry written differently by different AIs was counted as one. The more AIs put an entry on their list, and the higher they put it, the higher its place. "AI agreement" shows how many of the AIs had it on their own list. Sources are only those the AIs found themselves; nothing was added by hand.

06Each AI's own list

🇺🇸 Claude10 places · 4 notes

The same question, answered by Claude alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.

  1. 1
    Krasnoyarsk Krai

    Seven deaths in a month, 26.6k bears (almost three times the forest-service norm) and 405,800 ha burning: the only region where all signals peak at once.

    Source ↗
  2. 2
    Irkutsk Oblast

    Five deaths in September–October, including two berry pickers near Kirensk, with 22.4k bears in a region where people still go into the forest for berries.

    Source ↗
  3. 3
    Tyva (Tuva)

    A high alert in 11 of 17 districts, and the ministry warns of a second wave of hungry, non-hibernating bears in spring.

    Source ↗
  4. 4
    Altai Republic

    One death in August set off the biggest response of the season: more than 50 bears shot and 157 more permits, against a 1,134-bear quota.

    Source ↗
  5. 5
    Kamchatka Krai

    24.2k bears and a bear quota of 3,443, yet a watchman was killed on 19 September. Bear approaches here are long-standing.

    Source ↗
  6. 6
    Khakassia

    More than 120 bears culled (one article says over 125) and an expert says the population has been above the norm for a second year.

    Source ↗
  7. 7
    Kemerovo Oblast (Kuzbass)

    The governor blames fires for pushing bears into Kuzbass, and the region built "forest canteens" (feeding stations) to keep bears from villages.

    Source ↗
  8. 8
    Buryatia

    A 70-year-old escaped a bear by climbing a tree while another man died near Khurtaga, and Tunkinsky National Park has restrictions.

    Source ↗
  9. 9
    Khabarovsk Krai

    26.2k bears, almost as many as Krasnoyarsk, but only a listed incident region, with no deaths found in the sources read.

    Source ↗
  10. 10
    Sakha (Yakutia)

    The most burned ground of any region reported (987,067 ha) but few verified bear incidents, so it ranks on environmental signals only.

    Source ↗

What Claude noticed

The ministry says Russia normally records 20–30 attacks a year, while media counted at least 16 deaths in September alone. The two series measure different things.

Source ↗

The bear population is 307,900, up 2.3 times since 1990. The ministry says growth alone does not raise danger, since bears that lost their fear of people at dumps are the problem.

Source ↗

Hunters filled only about 27% of the national quota in 2025 (12.7k of almost 47k), so quota size is not the limit.

Source ↗

In Krasnoyarsk the fires burned in the far north, while the attacks were in the south, so fire is a weak proxy for where bears came to towns.

Source ↗
🇺🇸 Meta10 places · 3 notes

The same question, answered by Meta alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.

  1. 1
    Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia 2026

    7 of Russia's 16 September deaths in one region that holds 26,600 bears — 1 bear per 107 residents

    Source ↗
  2. 2
    Altai Republic, Russia 2026

    Tourists attacked in tent in August, then 50+ bears shot with 157 more permits in 2 days

  3. 3
    Irkutsk Oblast, Russia 2026

    5 deaths since spring including pensioner mushroom picking — 22,400 bears next to taiga villages

    Source ↗
  4. 4
    Kamchatka Krai, Russia 2026

    24,200 bears and 3 deaths, including 23-year-old berry picker this week — highest bear density near settlements

    Source ↗
  5. 5
    Republic of Buryatia, Russia 2026

    2 schools and a technical college went remote after bear appeared inside town of Zakamensk

  6. 6
    Tomsk Oblast, Russia 2026

    3 deaths since spring in region with 11,200 bears — forest presses directly against villages

  7. 7
    Khabarovsk Krai, Russia 2026

    26,200 bears — second-largest population — with expanding sightings near Khabarovsk suburbs

  8. 8
    Kemerovo Oblast, Russia 2026

    Fisherman fought off bear August 19 — western Siberia gateway where forest fires pushed bears out early

    Source ↗
  9. 9
    Tuva Republic, Russia 2026

    1 death but listed among core anomaly cluster with Altai, Krasnoyarsk, Buryatia, Irkutsk

    Source ↗
  10. 10
    Yakutia (Sakha Republic), Russia 2026

    18,800 bears and 5 million ha burned nationally — satellite data shows 16.3 million ha burned by late August

    Source ↗

What Meta noticed

Russia's bear population more than doubled from 130,000 in 1990 to 308,000 in 2026 — Krasnoyarsk alone holds 27,000, yet deaths cluster where towns press into forest, not just where most bears live.

Source ↗

Avialesookhrana reports 5 million ha burned in 2026, while satellite-derived total is 16.3 million ha — difference is Forest Fund vs all vegetation, a key proxy dispute in why bears moved.

Source ↗

Altai response — 50+ bears shot, 157 permits — contrasts with evidence: 530 bears shot nationwide as 'dangerous' while pine nut and berry carpets failed, pushing hungry bears toward garbage and gardens.

Source ↗
🇺🇸 Gemini10 places · 3 notes

The same question, answered by Gemini alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.

  1. 1
    Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia

    7 bear attack fatalities recorded in September 2026 alone amid catastrophic berry and pine-nut crop failure

    Source ↗
  2. 2
    Irkutsk Oblast, Russia

    At least 2 berry pickers killed in September 2026 as bears roam near rural settlements

    Source ↗
  3. 3
    Republic of Buryatia, Russia

    Fatal mauling near Khurtaga village in September 2026 triggered emergency forest buffer patrols

    Source ↗
  4. 4
    Magadan Oblast, Russia

    Governor proposed automatic shooting buffer zones around settlements following frequent town incursions

    Source ↗
  5. 5
    Altai Krai / Altai Republic, Russia

    Issued 157 emergency cull permits and killed over 50 bears after severe autumn food shortage

    Source ↗
  6. 6
    Kemerovo Oblast, Russia

    Elderly woman survived attack in Novokuznetsk as police responded with live force inside urban limits

    Source ↗
  7. 7
    Novosibirsk Oblast, Russia

    Hungry bear mauled livestock and charged a resident near Malchikha village in late August 2026

    Source ↗
  8. 8
    Kamchatka Krai, Russia

    Highest brown bear density per square kilometer with mandatory park closures and armed ranger patrols

  9. 9
    Novgorod Oblast, Russia

    Unusual western Russia bear attack recorded on August 30 near forest settlements

    Source ↗
  10. 10
    Khabarovsk Krai, Russia

    Combination of wildfire displacement and poor salmon runs forced emergency response teams into high alert

    Source ↗

What Gemini noticed

Over 3,440 bears were shot across Russia by October 2026 under emergency regulations as authorities shifted from wildlife protection to active population regulation.

Source ↗

The primary driver of the autumn 2026 crisis was a widespread crop failure of pine nuts, berries, and mushrooms combined with summer forest fires that drove bears into settlements before winter hibernation.

Source ↗

Russia's total brown bear population has more than doubled since 1990, reaching over 307,000 animals in 2026.

Source ↗
🇨🇳 DeepSeek10 places · 3 notes

The same question, answered by DeepSeek alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.

  1. 1
    Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia

    Seven deaths, 982 bears shot, and a national park on the city’s edge closed until mid-October — the epicentre of the 2026 autumn.

    Source ↗
  2. 2
    Irkutsk Oblast, Russia

    Five deaths and 483 bears shot — the second-deadliest region, with 22,400 bears and 580,000 hectares burned.

    Source ↗
  3. 3
    Tomsk Oblast, Russia

    Three deaths, a 30,000-ruble bounty per bear, and a region-wide heightened-alert regime with forest trips restricted until at least 1 November.

    Source ↗
  4. 4
    Republic of Buryatia, Russia

    Two deaths but 331 bears killed — and 15–20 reports a day of bears near settlements, with 24 hunting brigades deployed.

    Source ↗
  5. 5
    Kamchatka Krai, Russia

    Three deaths in a region of only 288,200 people — the highest bear density per person among the top regions, with 24,200 bears.

    Source ↗
  6. 6
    Republic of Khakassia, Russia

    No human deaths reported, but the town of Abaza was described as ‘effectively under siege’ and 226 bears were killed — a warning signal without a body count.

    Source ↗
  7. 7
    Republic of Tuva, Russia

    One death — the father of an NHL player — in a republic of 338,500 people with 3,466 bears and 378 shooting permits issued.

    Source ↗
  8. 8
    Altai Republic, Russia

    One tourist killed in her tent, then 55 bears shot under 157 permits — a ratio of one bear per roughly 3,800 people.

    Source ↗
  9. 9
    Khabarovsk Krai, Russia

    One death, but 26,200 bears — the second-largest bear population in Russia — and only 1.27 million people spread across a vast territory.

    Source ↗
  10. 10
    Vologda Oblast, Russia

    A 73-year-old hunter killed in the forest — and the region still raised its bear quota to 1,591, one in six bears.

    Source ↗

What DeepSeek noticed

Russia’s brown bear population has more than doubled since 1990, from about 130,000 to almost 308,000 in 2026 — so part of the story is simply more bears, not only more news.

Source ↗

Krasnoyarsk’s 982 bears shot is a larger number than the entire annual bear quota of many Russian regions; yet the ministry still describes the attack level as within historical cycles.

Source ↗

Buryatia killed 331 bears for 2 human deaths, while Khakassia killed 226 for zero reported human deaths — a contrast that shows culling numbers track alarm and permits as much as fatalities.

Source ↗