Accessibility links

Breaking News

Floodwaters Continue To Rise In Russia's Far East


A flooded house in the village of Vladimirovka in Russia's Amur region shows flooding considered the worst in Russia in 120 years.
A flooded house in the village of Vladimirovka in Russia's Amur region shows flooding considered the worst in Russia in 120 years.
The level of the Amur River near the city of Khabarovsk in Russia's Far East has reached 730 centimeters as unprecedented floods caused by heavy rains continue.

The mayor of Khabarovsk said last week that the mass evacuation of residents from some of the city's districts will start when the water level reaches 780 centimeters.

Local media said on August 26 that the Amur River continued had risen by 8 centimeters over the past 24 hours.

Thousands of people have been already evacuated from Amur, Khabarovsk, Yakutia, and the Jewish Autonomous Oblast in recent days.

Flooding hit dozens more villages in the region on August 25, including the islands of Bolshoi Ussuriysky and Kabelny near Khabarovsk.

The presidential envoy in the Far East, Vladimir Pysin, said on August 26 the highway between Khabarovsk and Komsomolsk-on-Amur may be closed completely.

On August 25, Russian Army servicemen using boats and aircraft evacuated some 550 people from the Jewish Autonomous Region, a territory located along the banks of the Amur River.

Rescue crews have raced to build 1,000 meters of dykes and lay 7,000 sandbags in an effort to prevent floodwaters from submerging nearby towns.

Over 50,000 people have been affected by the disaster, which is considered Russia's worst flooding in 120 years.

Based on reporting by RIA Novosti, Interfax, and ITAR-TASS

RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.

If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.

To find out more, click here.

XS
SM
MD
LG