6 people killed in bear attacks in Siberia, as official warns one town is "under siege"

At least six people have been killed in bear attacks in Russia's vast Siberian region of Krasnoyarsk in a month, prosecutors said Wednesday, as an official in a neighboring region reported bears had put one town "under siege." Prosecutors said they opened a probe into criminal negligence, accusing local officials of failing to control bear numbers. Russia's brown bear population has more than doubled since 1990, from around 130,000 to almost 308,000 in 2026, according to Russia's natural resources ministry. While the number of bear attacks across Russia has remained constant at around 20 to 30 a year, according to the ministry, local media and officials have expressed alarm about the rising numbers.