Six Killed in Siberian Bear Attacks as Official Claims Town ‘Under Siege’

Prosecutors in Russia have launched an investigation into criminal negligence after at least six people were killed by bears in the Siberian region of Krasnoyarsk over the past month. Officials accused local authorities of failing to implement adequate measures to control the growing predator population and prevent encounters with humans.

The Russian Investigative Committee for the Krasnoyarsk and Khakassia regions stated that despite repeated warnings, local officials did not take sufficient action to regulate the number of bears or stop them from entering inhabited areas.

The fatalities include two pensioners found mauled in a forest near the remote settlement of Podtyosovo earlier this month, a 40-year-old factory worker who was attacked while traversing the forest on September 6, and a 39-year-old logger who was killed while guarding machinery on Wednesday.

Additionally, two individuals were reported killed while picking wild berries along the Lena River, according to The Moscow Times. In that incident, one survivor escaped and reported the attack to authorities.

Dmitry Buchenik, deputy head of the neighboring Khakassia region, described the situation in Abaza, a forest town with approximately 10,000 residents, as critical. He stated that bears had surrounded the town “on all sides,” creating what he called an “alarming” siege.

“It was an alarming night in Abaza. The taiga town is effectively under siege by bears,” Buchenik said. He noted that while some animals were chased away, three were killed, including one particularly large specimen. Unverified videos circulated on social media appeared to show a bear swimming near the town and a group of three bears crossing a roadway.

The surge in attacks coincides with a significant rise in Russia’s brown bear numbers. According to the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources, the population has more than doubled since 1990, growing from roughly 130,000 to nearly 308,000 in 2026.

While the national ministry reports that the total number of bear attacks across Russia has remained steady at between 20 and 30 annually, local media and officials have expressed concern over recent trends. A tally by The Moscow Times indicates that at least 14 people have died in bear attacks throughout Russia since the beginning of the year.

Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations maintains that bears typically flee during the majority of encounters with humans. Earlier this year, a rare polar bear attack in northern Siberia injured three members of a family, including a child.