Aerosol optical depth (AOD) at 550 nanometers data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor on the EOS Aqua satellite, showing the extent of smoke from central Russian wildfires. The MODIS data was averaged over the five-day period July 27-31, 2010, with Giovanni. The 'Haze' color palette and a customized scale were used for this image. The smoke aerosols appear to be rising into the atmosphere and drifting aloft away from the fires. NASA GES DISC

BBC
20 August 2010 Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has sacked the head of the forestry agency for failing to deal adequately with the recent wildfires. The fires have destroyed hundreds of thousands of hectares of countryside, and shrouded Moscow in dense smog. Mr Putin replaced Alexei Savinov with his deputy, Viktor Maslyakov. However, some Russian critics say Mr Putin should share the blame, having pushed through a law decentralising the protection of Russia’s forests. Russia’s forests cover 809 million hectares (two billion acres) – twice the size of the European Union landmass. Critics say the law rushed through the Russian parliament in 2006 on Mr Putin’s orders deprived the forestry agency of important powers to oversee them. …

Putin sacks Russian forestry chief over fires