Moscow
The worst fire season in decades has blanketed Moscow with smoke so thick that tourists and residents alike have taken to wearing surgical masks. Schools are closed, and airports have limited incoming flights because of poor visibility. At least one tabloid is blaming the 200 fires currently raging around Moscow on a “test of an American climatic weapon,” but government officials are fingering Muscovites. Officials say city residents who venture into the nearby forests for the traditional Russian pastime of mushroom gathering often leave behind burning cigarettes.
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