Is it true that bears are massively attacking people? What is really happening in Russia in 2026

Conflicts between wild animals and humans occur every year. Currently, the internet is flooded with panic—there are calls to deal with bears and conduct mass shootings because "bears are eating people." The Ministry of Natural Resources cites increasing numbers, although experts and scientists argue that no one knows the actual numbers: it's nothing more than "bureaucratic guesswork." Moreover, just a few years ago, the FSB of Russia and the Prosecutor General's Office reported catastrophic bear extermination and even requested their inclusion in the Red Book—these are real facts that are now being diligently ignored.

Now about the attacks.

I have studied everything I could find and gather for the current year. Indeed, from the beginning of 2026 to September 25, about 35 bear attacks on people have been recorded in the country, and in almost all cases, warnings from authorities about the inadmissibility of visiting forests were issued in advance. These warnings were ignored.

Let's consider some examples of tragedies now:

On September 22, a tourist died in Tuva, Todzhinsky District. A group of seven people ventured into the remote taiga despite an active ban on visiting forests. The head of the State Hunting Supervision later reported that they took a large amount of food with them and ignored the warnings.

In August, a hunter died in the Novgorod region (Borovichi district); he shot at a young bear, which attacked him in self-defense. The man survived, protected by dogs, and the bear was killed.

On September 13, a farm worker was injured in the Irkutsk region when a hungry bear tried to snatch a pig, and the man chased it with a stick. The bear attacked the worker in response.

On September 16, as reported in all media, two berry pickers died in the Irkutsk region. The police had publicly warned about bears since September 14, and it was forbidden to go into the forest! Authorities noted that people ignored the bans and continued to go even where bears had been previously sighted.

The same situation applies to many other tragedies, and each case can be analyzed. It is crucial to assess these incidents in the correct context rather than blindly relying on internet scare tactics, which are being actively and extensively promoted.

To the real numbers, so everyone understands what is happening.

As of September 25, from the beginning of 2026, about 35 attacks have been recorded, 21 of which resulted in fatalities. For comparison: in the previous year, 2025, there were also 34 bear attacks, but fewer fatalities—7 people died. In 2024, there were 19 attacks and 8 deaths.

Thus, in 2026, the number of attacks did not increase, but the situation with fatal outcomes worsened. Out of 35 bear conflicts, 21 resulted in deaths.

There is no absolute record of bear attacks on people this year. There is a SEVERE CHRONIC DEGRADATION OF WILDLIFE due to the lack of proper management and catastrophic human pressure on ecosystems. On top of this, there are natural anomalies and a reduction in the food base, which literally "undermine the foundation" of wild animals' survival.

Attention, comrades! This is important: in 2014, 166 bear attacks on people were recorded in Russian regions. That is 131 more attacks than this year—374.3% more in percentage terms. These are real recorded data.

What happened in 2014?

1. There was no fish, salmon did not enter spawning rivers, and where it was present, people blocked its paths with nets and caught everything clean. Bears were deprived of one of their most important high-calorie foods. For example, on July 21, 2014, a bear attacked two fishing vessel workers: both received multiple injuries and were sent to intensive care.

   
   

2. In 2014, there was an abnormal heatwave: the average annual temperature was 1.28°C above normal, and in spring, the anomaly was +3.2°C—a historical maximum for Russia. In Siberia, the average daily temperature exceeded the norm by about 7–8 degrees, with daytime temperatures reaching +30…+36°C.

   
   

3. Amid the lack of a food base and abnormal heat, destructive forest fires occurred. According to official data, over 17,000 forest fires were recorded, and 3.7 million hectares of taiga were burned.

   
   

4. By autumn 2014, authorities reported no berry harvest, and there were practically no pine nuts, particularly in the Tyumen region, leaving animals with nothing to eat. It was at this moment that mass bear sightings near humans were recorded.

   
   
5. Simultaneously, in 2014, people invaded the wild with large-scale development—cutting everything "left and right" for timber export to China. A parliamentary report on forestry indicated that remote monitoring for 2014 detected illegal logging of about 3.1 million m³—about twice what was recorded in the reports of Russian regions. Both large-scale illegal logging and legal logging conducted with massive violations were mentioned. Numerous scandals about the plundering of the Russian taiga emerged in 2014. We were conducting environmental expeditions in Siberia at that time, identifying environmental destruction and actively speaking out about the issues.

I think the connection is clear to everyone! And it was then, in 2014, that 166 bear attacks on people were recorded. 374.3% more than in the current 2026.

Now a small quote from my earlier material:

"But to understand the scale: if in 2019/2020 it was allowed to kill 24,405 bears, by 2025/2026, the authorities permitted the shooting of 45,972 individuals. This despite the fact that in 2018, the FSB and the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation reported mass bear extermination and even asked the government to urgently take them under federal protection by including them in the Red Book. Authorities reported a 36% reduction in the bear population in Russia in just two years: from 225,000 individuals in 2015 to 143,000 in 2017.

But by 2020, the Ministry of Natural Resources suddenly declared that the bear population in Russia exceeded 300,000 individuals and began to annually increase quotas for their shooting. And this for an animal with a slow life cycle, which reproduces only once every few years—the population figures announced by the Ministry of Natural Resources do not fit into scientific logic."

This material is about how the bear population numbers in our country are simply "fabricated," as reported by relevant experts. Read about it here: https://pavel-pashkov.com/articles/en/bear-population

Thus, I think everyone understands the scale of what is happening.

Now to the current situation—in 2026.

1. There is no abnormal situation: statistically, the number of conflicts between bears and humans is about the same as in previous years. But mortality has increased! This is because in almost all cases, people ignored warnings and ventured into the wild for tourism purposes, even though authorities had warned of the danger in advance.

   
   

2. On top of all this, a huge amount of FAKE INFORMATION is being spread. The internet is genuinely flooded with AI-generated videos and photos. There is real scaremongering about bears—they have been made scapegoats. This is directly beneficial to the hunting lobby. I remind you that for many years they have openly sought to legalize recreational sports hunting of bears throughout the winter when the animals hibernate with their young. This "traditional den hunting" is in high demand, including among foreign tourists. The Ministry of Natural Resources itself previously tried to push this bill, but we fought it off with the efforts of the entire environmental community of the country. Be sure to read about how the internet was flooded with fake news about bears: https://pavel-pashkov.com/articles/en/fake-bear

   
   

3. Experts and scientists confirm: this year there is an acute shortage of food resources, and wild animals lack sustenance. There are few pine nuts and berries. For example, even the authorities of Buryatia reported that the berry and pine nut harvest was even worse than last year, and the situation was already catastrophic then. In many areas, there are no nuts at all. Pine nuts are one of the most important high-energy fattening foods for brown bears before hibernation. Meanwhile, as in 2014, there is a severe situation with fish. In spring, VNIRO forecasted the catch of Pacific salmon across the entire Far East at only 227,000 tons, reporting a catastrophic shortage of fish. To give you an idea: by September 10, 2024, for example, more than 129,000 tons were caught in Kamchatka, while in 2026, by the same date, the figure was 57% lower.

   
   

4. At the same time, large-scale forest fires and overall human pressure on ecosystems continue—nature is being destroyed.

   
   
5. Moreover, there is currently a de facto redistribution not just of publicly accessible forest lands, but of Russia's reserves. I remind you that we are opposing a series of bills aimed at weakening the protective status of the country's reserve system. Major lobbying groups are trying to legalize clear-cutting of mountain protective forests and push for the abolition and alteration of the boundaries of specially protected natural areas for industrial resource extraction. This means pressure is being exerted on the REFUGES OF WILDLIFE.

These are the facts. 

Comrades! Continue to speak the truth and fight for Life—wildlife has no other voice but ours. Spread this material on all social networks—it is extremely important. Our struggle relies on you, those who are ready to protect nature even in such difficult times.

© PAVEL PASHKOV