The extreme heat has made Muscovites ignore certain prohibitions. Improvised beaches have emerged almost all along the Moskva River. One of the most popular sites is the beach at Vorobyovy Gory (Sparrow Hills) in southwestern Moscow. However, swimming is forbidden here and there are large red signs indicating this.
“We desperately want to go swimming; the heat is unbearable,” people say.
Lifeguards oversee the beach at Sparrow Hills. They cruise along the river but have no right to force people out of the water. That is why they can only ask people not to swim too far from the bank to where boats pass. Still, these boats are not the only danger. Swimming is forbidden here also because the riverbed has not been cleared. Besides, it is not known how clean the water is here.
According to the Russian Emergencies Ministry, 958 people have drowned in Russia since July 1 and 1,244 people drowned in June. The main cause of such accidents remains swimming under the influence of alcohol at unequipped sites.