A 29-year-old woman was killed by a bear that dragged her from a tent in the Altai Republic on August 19, one of three attacks reported across Russia in recent days.
The woman, identified as Snezhana from the Novosibirsk region, was camping with her fiancé on the banks of the Biya river in the village of Artybash. Her partner had recently proposed to her.
She worked as a lawyer and a court secretary, and was awarded the title of master of sports in powerlifting in 2023.
The bear entered the camp at night, grabbed Snezhana and pulled her into the forest. Her fiancé attempted to save her, but she suffered fatal injuries.
A source in the emergency services told TASS that the bear dragged her into the woods, consumed her limbs and buried her. Local residents attempted to intervene, but the animal charged at them and they were unable to help.
The Investigative Committee for the Altai territory is reviewing the incident to establish the circumstances of the death.
Attracted by food
Survival instructor Oleg Taiga said the animal was likely drawn by the smell of food left in the tent and backpacks. He said tourists often leave bags of food in tent vestibules, putting them within a metre of wild animals, which can reach in and grab people while they sleep.
Bears have become accustomed to humans and no longer fear them, Taiga said, adding that a nearby tourist trail likely meant there was rubbish in the area.
Local residents said they saw a large black bear in the village several times that night. One resident, Evgeny, said the bear knocked over his rubbish bin. A neighbour had called him to say the animal had broken her fence, and he believed it visited his property while he was asleep. He said bears are drawn to the area by pine cones near the lake.
The neighbour said her husband saw the bear on their property at 9:30 in the evening. He shouted and scared it, and the couple locked their door as the bear ran and jumped over a fence at the other end of the site.
They called the emergency services, and armed wildlife rangers were dispatched to search for the animal.
According to the Shot Telegram channel, an influx of bears in the Altai region began around August 10, with the animals entering shops, attacking livestock and climbing into boats. They have been seen in the villages of Yaylyu and Artybash, the Ulagan district, and on tourist routes. Locals believe the bears are trying to build fat reserves for winter, targeting waterfalls where fish are plentiful.
Fisherman attacked
In a separate incident in the Kemerovo region, a fisherman was airlifted to hospital after fighting off a mother bear with a cub as he returned from a fishing trip.
The man said he struck the bear in the nose with his fist, causing it to jump back, which allowed him to run to a tourist shelter where he found a group of women from Kiselyovsk. He said he did not know what provoked the attack.
The National Air Ambulance Service flew to the scene with doctors from the Kuzbass disaster medicine centre, treating the man before flying him to hospital.
In a third incident, two men aged 64 and 67 were attacked by a bear on August 17 near the Biryusa river in the Taishet district of the Irkutsk region.
One man was hospitalised with serious injuries, while the other sustained bite wounds to his leg. Rangers and police searched the area but did not find the bear.
The Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Irkutsk region recorded 12 sightings of wild animals near settlements within a 24-hour period.
Officers advised people to avoid forests and allotments, warning that predators only need seconds to attack. They told residents not to leave food or household waste outside, as rash actions could lead to tragedy.
