DURBAN, South Africa. Sept 8 (Interfax) - The Ukrainian Armed Forces are increasingly trying to strike chemical production facilities, nuclear power plants and power-generating and water supply facilities in Russian territory using modern weapons delivered by the West, Russian Emergency Situations Minister Alexander Kurenkov said.
"Socially important and potentially hazardous facilities, including chemical production facilities, nuclear power plants, power-generating and water supply facilities in our country are increasingly becoming targets for modern weapons which Western countries deliver to Ukraine," Kurenkov said at a meeting of the BRICS working group on disaster management.
Industrial growth in hazardous branches of Russia's economy also facilitates increased risks of man-made disasters, he said.
Climate change has increased the risk of major wildfires and disastrous floods, and climatic anomalies now happen in various parts of our planet, Kurenkov also said. These include unusually high summer temperatures, prolonged droughts, and heavy rainfalls.
"The growth of the population and production volumes also has a negative impact on the natural environment. The number of man-made disasters is increasing," Kurenkov said. In addition, he pointed to the risk of emergence and spread of especially dangerous infectious diseases.
"Resolving issues of protecting the population and territories requires joint efforts of all countries," Kurenkov said.