Belarusian authorities do not help Russia to fires (Photo, video)

Ukraine has offered its neighbours assistance to fight wildfires, while Belarus continues to keep silent.

A record-breaking heat and drought have caused fires all over Russia. The emergency situation takes place in 14 regions of Russia. 558 hectares of forest and peat swamps have burnt, as of August 2, 228 hectares of forests were burning. Fire seizes settlements as well. The death toll from the fires is at least 34, more than 2,000 persons are left homeless. For the third day Moscow is shrouded in smog. Wildfires have encircled the nuclear centre in Sarov, near Nizhny Novgorod, Radio Svaboda reminds.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has sent army to fight fire. Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow, has called upon believers to pray for rain.

According to the Emergency Situations Ministry of Belarus, Russian regions bordering on our country, are not affected by fire, so there is no danger that fires would move to the west. The situation in Belarus is stable, there are no serious fires. Frequent rains have contributed to that.

A representative of the Emergency Situations Ministry of Belarus Syarhei Nikitenka stated that there were no requests from Russia for any assistance in fighting fires, and there were no from the Belarusian government for sending firemen to help their Russian foils.

The spokesperson of the Belarusian government Alyaksandr Tsimashenka has also said that there had been no decision on providing assistance to Russia.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych promised Russia to as offered its fire fighting air squadron to fight wildfires in Russia, to cure and rehabilitate the victims.

Though meanwhile peat swamps around Kyiv started to burn, and the situation in the Crimea is fire hazardous as well.

The former Speaker of the Supreme Council of Belarus of the 12th convocation Myachyslau Hryb who once worked in the fire fighting service, finds wildfires in Russia extremely dangerous. He is not sure whether fire fighters of this country would have enough workforce and means. Assistance from Belarus would be very handy.

“Belarus should have offered assistance. As good neighbours, as Christians, we must always help each other. Then we would be able to expect their help as well. And if a neighbour has a trouble, and we turn our back on that, the neighbour does the same, when we have a trouble,” Myachyslau Hryb said.

Earlier Belarus sent tow fire-fighting helicopters to Greece and Turkey.