6 people killed in bear attacks in Siberia, as official warns one town is “under siege”

September 23, 2026 / 12:55 PM EDT / CBS/AFP

At least six people have been killed in bear attacks in Russia's vast Siberian region of Krasnoyarsk in a month, prosecutors said Wednesday, as an official in a neighboring region reported bears had put one town "under siege."

Prosecutors said they opened a probe into criminal negligence, accusing local officials of failing to control bear numbers.

Russia's brown bear population has more than doubled since 1990, from around 130,000 to almost 308,000 in 2026, according to Russia's natural resources ministry.

While the number of bear attacks across Russia has remained constant at around 20 to 30 a year, according to the ministry, local media and officials have expressed alarm about the rising numbers. At least 14 people have been killed in bear attacks across Russia since the start of the year, according to a tally by The Moscow Times.

Despite numerous warnings, local officials "failed to take measures to regulate the predator population or prevent them from appearing in areas inhabited by people," the Investigative Committee of Russia's sparsely populated Krasnoyarsk and Khakassia regions said on its website.

The bodies of two pensioners were found mauled in a forest near the…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/