In the Krasnoyarsk Territory, forest special forces soldiers practice landing from a helicopter

In the Krasnoyarsk Territory, forest special forces soldiers are undergoing aerial training ahead of the new fire season in the forests. Experienced instructors, parachutists and paratroopers-firefighters from the southern divisions of the regional Forest Fire Center were the first to practice their skills. At the airfield in Krasnoyarsk they conducted training descents from a Mi-8 helicopter.

During the fire season, paratroopers and paratroopers-firefighters mainly have to fight fire in remote, hard-to-reach areas, where they are delivered by air. Where there is no suitable landing site for a helicopter, it is necessary to land from a hovering position using descent devices. These skills are honed in training.

Together with the forestry special forces, observer pilots receive access to production work, acting as releasers from the aircraft.

“All employees of the region’s parachute fire service and aircrew—more than 950 people—will undergo training before the new fire season. We will conduct aerial training in different air departments: in Yeniseisk, Boguchany, Vanavara, Baykit and Turukhansk. Parachutists-firefighters will practice jumping from an An-2 aircraft with Lesnik-3 parachute systems at Shushenskoye airport,” said Andrey Bambulenko, deputy director of the regional Forest Fire Center for flight service.

Let us recall that for 2025-2028, the Krasnoyarsk Territory was allocated more than 5.3 billion rubles from the federal budget to strengthen the protection of forests from fires in remote areas. Using these funds, 12 existing aviation departments were consolidated in the region and one new one was created in Turukhansk, and the material and technical base of the regional Forest Fire Center was updated.

In 2026, under the new national project “Ecological Well-Being,” the region will continue to update its fleet of forest fire equipment. Firefighters will receive UAZ vehicles and motor boats. Also in the region, the Evenki aviation department will be strengthened, the staff of specialists there will be expanded, and new equipment and machinery will be purchased.