Putin takes to the sky to fight wildfires
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MOSCOW -- Prime Minister Vladimir Putin climbed into a firefighting plane Tuesday and dumped water on two of the hundreds of wildfires sweeping through western Russia and cloaking Moscow in a suffocating smog.
Mr. Putin has been a very visible leader in the battle against the fires, which have caused billions of dollars in damage and left thousands homeless in the past two weeks. He has demanded that soldiers help overstretched firefighting brigades and has walked through smoldering villages, consoling residents and promising them new homes by fall.
But with his once-sky-high approval ratings dropping -- and sociologists warning that discontent could grow, as the fires and a drought take their toll -- Mr. Putin has not let up.
He took off Tuesday in a Be-200 firefighting plane and then moved into the co-pilot's seat. Television footage showed him pushing a button to unleash water on blazing forest fires about 120 miles southeast of Moscow. After hitting the button, Mr. Putin glanced toward the pilot and asked, "Was that OK?" The response: "A direct hit!"
The stunt was classic Putin. In past years, he has co-piloted a fighter jet, ridden a horse bare-chested in Siberia and descended to the bottom of Lake Baikal in a mini-sub. Just last month, he drove a Harley-Davidson motorcycle to a biker rally.
All of his exploits have been widely publicized on the national television networks, which are under government control. Russia holds its next presidential election in 2012, and Mr. Putin would be eligible to run.
Damage from the fires was expected to hit $15 billion, or about 1 percent of Russia's gross domestic product, the business newspaper Kommersant reported Tuesday.
The hottest summer since record-keeping began 130 years ago has cost Russia more than a third of its wheat crop and prompted the government to ban wheat exports. Mr. Putin last week said the ban would last through the end of the year, but his deputy said Tuesday that the government may consider lifting the ban in October, once the harvest is complete.
First Published August 11, 2010 12:00 am
