Russia is experiencing a rise in brown bear attacks near populated areas, prompting regional authorities to cull animals and seek legislative changes to manage the growing population.

Reports of brown bear attacks on humans have increased across Russia since late summer 2026, with incidents occurring daily in various regions. Authorities have responded by killing bears deemed "potentially conflict-prone" and implementing safety measures, including curfews and park access restrictions. Officials attribute the surge to a combination of seasonal activity, food shortages in the taiga, and a growing bear population that is increasingly encroaching on human settlements.

Recent Fatal Encounters

Several fatal attacks have been documented in recent months. In August, a 29-year-old tourist was killed by a bear near the village of Artybash in the Altai Republic. In the Krasnoyarsk Krai region, two women were killed while picking mushrooms near Podtesovo in late August, and a 40-year-old man was killed in the settlement of Yuzhno-Yeniseysky on September 6. Another fatal attack occurred on September 7 in the Zakamensky district of Buryatia, where a man was killed while moving cows.

Official Response and Population Control

Regional governments have declared states of heightened alert in multiple areas, including the Kemerovo region, Krasnoyarsk, and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. Authorities are actively culling bears, with more than 180 killed in Krasnoyarsk Krai and over 50 in the Republic of Altai since the tourist's death. Officials are now calling for legislative changes to further reduce the national bear population, which the Natural Resources Ministry estimates at 307,900—a 2.3-fold increase since 1990.

Expert Perspectives on Bear Behavior

While officials cite food shortages and waste access as primary drivers for the bears' erratic behavior, experts remain cautious. Wildlife biologist Vladimir Gordienko noted that while bear encounters are common in Kamchatka, the current widespread nature of these incidents across Russia is unusual. Some researchers, such as Dmitry Taranenko, warn that wholesale extermination of bears near settlements will not solve the underlying problem, suggesting that the situation requires more complex management than culling alone.