Bear attacks on humans have become more frequent in Russia. And here's why

At least 17 people have died in Russia in recent weeks as a result of bear attacks. They attack both in forests and in populated areas, increasingly venturing into towns and cities. The Krasnoyarsk Territory became the most affected region, where six residents have already died. The number of bears has more than doubled in 36 years, and hunters are unable to contain it. What you need to know about the causes of predator attacks is in the "Izvestia" article.

How bears attack

• In late summer and early autumn, there was a wave of bear attacks in Russia. Predators have appeared in settlements in more than 40 regions, and the most difficult situation has developed in Eastern Siberia and the Far East. In some cases, the appearance of animals has led to deaths. Since August, 17 people have died in this way.

• In the Krasnoyarsk Territory, a bear killed two women while picking mushrooms in the forest. Another woman died in her yard in the village of Verkhny Kebezh. One shepherd and two other men were also killed in the region. In the Altai Republic, a bear pulled a tourist from the Novosibirsk region out of a tent and dragged her into the forest in front of her fiance. In the Irkutsk region, a bear attacked three men while picking berries, only one of them managed to escape. In Buryatia, a predator killed a man when he was escorting his wife to the bus. Bears also killed hunters in Bratsk and Kamchatka.

Bear Siege: Russian regions continue to suffer from predator attacks

Three animals that entered the city at the same time were killed in Khakassia.

• After the deaths of six people in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, the Investigative Committee for the region opened a criminal case under Part 3 of Article 293 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Negligence resulting in the death of two or more persons by negligence"). It will be attended by officials who have not taken measures to regulate the number of animals in the forests.

Why are there attacks

• The main reason for the increased frequency of attacks was the sharply increased number of bears. According to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, in 1990 there were about 130 thousand individuals in Russia. By 2026, their number reached 307.9 thousand, that is, the growth exceeded 2.3 times. These data are not based on an individual calculation, but are a calculated estimate based on monitoring the traces of predator activity, and therefore the actual bear population may be higher.

• Several factors influence the increase in population. In the 1970s and 1980s, massive deforestation occurred during the development of Siberia. Since then, a young forest has appeared on the site of the wastelands, in which, first of all, shrubs with berries grow, which are a food base for bears. This allowed the predator population, which has no natural enemies, to grow and cover new territories. However, over time, a growing number of bears began to lack these new food sources, which is why they began to approach human habitats more often. In 2026, there was also a crop failure of cedar cones, which bears feed on in preparation for wintering.

• The increase in the number of bears coincided with a sharp drop in hunters' interest in this animal. Since 2025, the terms of licenses for hunting bears in public lands have been reduced to 30 days, although previously it was allowed for the entire announced hunting period. The production period has also decreased in recent years and is usually up to five months. In the autumn-winter period, hunting stops on December 31 and does not cover the New Year holidays, but previously it was held until February 28.

Bear hunting is much more expensive than any other animal. The cost of one 30-day license is 3 thousand rubles (6 thousand rubles in Kamchatka), another 650 rubles is the state fee for its registration. The cost of preparing the grounds and drives starts from 50 thousand rubles, and the cost of the trophy exceeds 100 thousand rubles. At the same time, bear meat is often infected with trichinosis and is not valued as a product, unlike moose or wild boar. As a result, the allocated quotas are not systematically fulfilled, and bears do not have any restraining factors for population growth. In those rare cases when hunters do go after a bear, they prefer to get the carcass of a large adult animal and leave the young livestock, which is much more active, bolder to choose people and can leave offspring.

• The behavior of bears is also changing due to climate change. They migrate to new territories and end up closer to humans. Forest fires, which have become more frequent due to global warming, also force predators to look for a new environment and change their migration routes. Predators are interested in human habitats because there they can find an easy source of food in the form of landfill waste or pets. Bears quickly lose their caution, perceive settlements as their own territories and bring other animals with them, thereby multiplying the problem.

What measures are being taken

• Due to the frequent visits of bears to people, municipalities in eight regions have entered a high-alert mode. It operates in the Krasnoyarsk, Altai and Kamchatka Territories, the republics of Altai, Tyva and Khakassia, Irkutsk and Kemerovo regions. A curfew has been imposed in some settlements of the Angara region, Kamchatka and Altai. In the Tomsk region, excursions, tourist gatherings and other mass events in the forests were suspended until November 1.

• The main measure to combat bears is to shoot them. Since the summer of 2026, more than 400 aggressive predators have been shot in the Siberian and Far Eastern regions. 125 bears were killed in Khakassia alone, including 41 in the city of Abaza and 32 in Sayanogorsk. In Divnogorsk, Krasnoyarsk Territory, special forces units were deployed to combat bears, so that its fighters could monitor the territory using drones and thermal imagers.

• Payments can motivate hunters to shoot bears. This practice is used to protect against wolves and other predators, but it hardly applies to bears. In 2026, payments are made only by five regions: Krasnoyarsk Krai (36.5 thousand rubles), Bashkiria (50 thousand rubles), Buryatia (15 thousand rubles for a bear that poses a threat and 6 thousand as part of hunting), Kamchatka Krai (7 thousand rubles) and Yakutia (11.5 thousand rubles). At the same time, bears cannot be killed in specially protected natural areas to receive payments.

• The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment also called on local authorities to take measures to stop bears from getting easy access to food in landfills. The agency also announced the collection of proposals from the regions to determine how to improve legislation and further legalize the fight against dangerous predators.