The smog from the wildfires raging outside Moscow is covering the city after the 3-day relief.

The visibility has considerably dropped up to 300 meters. Muscovites has put on face masks again.

Since mid-June, the Moscow Region has been in the grips of an abnormal heat wave sparking forest fires. During two weeks the capital was blanketed in acrid dense smog.

The worst smoky days were August 6 and 7, when the carbon monoxide concentration in the air exceeded the maximum permissible level 6 to 7 times over.

On Thursday the head of the Russian state meteorological center, Roman Vilfand said the conditions for smog formation around Moscow would remain until next week due to continuing wildfires and peat bog fires outside the capital and an unfavorable air circulation.

"These conditions move the smog from fire-stricken areas [into Moscow]," the scientist said, adding that a new smog wave would most likely suffocate the Russian capital again over the weekend.

MOSCOW, August 14 (RIA Novosti)