Global Warming More than War in Ukraine Behind Record Number of Disasters in Russia in 2024, ‘Novaya Gazeta’ Says

Paul Goble
    Staunton, Dec. 23 – During 2024, Russia suffered from a minimum of 59 major natural disasters in 2024, fifty percent more than a yea earlier and affecting more than half of the country’s federal subjects That represents a record number of such crises at least since 2009 when the emergency services ministry was created and in fact for a much longer period as well, Novaya Gazeta says.
     Many commentators have blamed this trend on Putin’s war in Ukraine, the paper says; but in fact, it has been global warming that has been responsible for far more of these disasters, 38 to 16,  although the impact has been affected by the war given Moscow’s attention to it above everything else (novayagazeta.eu/articles/2024/12/23/ogon-voda-i-bespilotnye-apparaty).
    Moscow has taken one step that will likely mean fewer major catastrophes in 2025: The Moscow authorities have raised the amount of property damage involved for any incident to be classified as a major crisis by 50 percent. That will likely allow the Kremlin the opportunity to speak about “progress” in this next year even though there is unlikely to be any.