The area affected by wildfires raging across central Russia fell by half to 90,000 hectares compared to Tuesday's 180,000 hectares, the Russian Emergencies Ministry said on Wednesday.
Russia is suffering the worst heat wave in the 130 years since records began. Wildfires continue to rage across much of the central part of European Russia as the country experiences temperatures of up to and above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).
"In the last 24 hours, 290 hotspots have appeared, 314 hotspots were put out, 612 hotspots with an area of 92,702 hectares remain active," the Ministry said, adding there are 56 large hotspots and 31 peat bog fires with an area of 58,765 hectares still remaining.
Over 165 people and 26,000 pieces of firefighting equipment, including 39 aircraft, are involved in extinguishing the wildfires.
Earlier France, Italy, Turkey, Bulgaria and several CIS countries dispatched to Russia firefighting equipment.
"International assistance sent to Russia include 551 people and 100 items of equipment, including 13 aircraft to help extinguish the fires."
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Tuesday took part in extinguishing forest fires in Ryazan Province on board an amphibious firefighting airplane.
The Russian head of government 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.
He dumped approximately 12 tons of water on each of two fires, extinguishing both completely.
Wildfires, sparked by weeks of abnormally high temperatures in central Russia, have severely damaged the Russian economy, with the estimated short-term loss of $15 billion.
MOSCOW, August 11 (RIA Novosti)
