Air traffic was disrupted today in Moscow after a pall of smoke, caused by the worst forest and peat pog fires in the region for 30 years, smothered the Russian capital.
Airplanes were unable to land at Sheremetyevo international airport, north of Moscow, and departures from Domodedovo airport to the south were suspended for an hour because of the smoke, which was expected to disperse slowly during the day, Moscow Echo radio reported.
Some residents of Moscow were hospitalised after feeling unwell because of the fumes, but their condition is not serious.
Moscow landmarks such as the Kremlin were almost obscured by the thick smoke from just a few hundred metres away.
The fires, many of which are smouldering in peat bogs, are considered almost impossible to put out in the current drought conditions, which are the worst for a summer period in the Russian capital in over 100 years.
Weather forecasters say rain which could help extinguish the fires is not expected until the middle of the month.
Moscow regional authorities have declared a state of emergency in 22 districts around the Russian capital.
AFP