The Arctic has transformed into an oven, the heatwaves have sparked hundreds of wildfires in Siberia. Watch this video to know more.

Siberia: Forest fire spreads in Arctic region due to heatwave

The Arctic has transformed into an oven. Heatwaves have sparked hundreds of wildfires in Siberia. Millions of hectares of forest is up in flames. It's been a record-setting summer.&nbsp;Scientists say it could get worse. The chilly Arctic breeze could be snuffed out soon if nothing is done about global warming.

Forests in the arctic region are up in flames. They are burning with great intensity. The smoke has reached the west coast of the United States. In Siberia, close to three million hectares of forest is on fire. Since January 2020, more than four million hectare of forest has already gone up in flames. The heatwave has reduced the expansive Boreal forests into a bone dry patch of land.

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Scientists believe the recurring heatwaves will continue to spawn wildfires.

"We are monitoring the clouds and when we find enough clouds over a wildfire - the plane immediately takes off. Today, we are going to work over two or three wildfires. This method makes fire isolation, fire extinguishing in remote areas much easier for firefighters working on the ground. Their job becomes significantly easier."

Satellite images show that much of the Russian Arctic is in the red.

The problem of wildfires is closely linked to climate change.

Climate scientists say the Siberian heatwave is a warning cry from the Arctic. 
&nbsp;

The Arctic has transformed into an oven. Heatwaves have sparked hundreds of wildfires in Siberia. Millions of hectares of forest is up in flames. It's been a record-setting summer.

The Arctic has transformed into an oven. Heatwaves have sparked hundreds of wildfires in Siberia. Millions of hectares of forest is up in flames. It's been a record-setting summer. Scientists say it could get worse. The chilly Arctic breeze could be snuffed out soon if nothing is done about global warming. Forests in the arctic region are up in flames. They are burning with great intensity. The smoke has reached the west coast of the United States. In Siberia, close to three million hectares of forest is on fire. Since January 2020, more than four million hectare of forest has already gone up in flames. The heatwave has reduced the expansive Boreal forests into a bone dry patch of land. Scientists believe the recurring heatwaves will continue to spawn wildfires. "We are monitoring the clouds and when we find enough clouds over a wildfire - the plane immediately takes off. Today, we are going to work over two or three wildfires. This method makes fire isolation, fire extinguishing in remote areas much easier for firefighters working on the ground. Their job becomes significantly easier." Satellite images show that much of the Russian Arctic is in the red. The problem of wildfires is closely linked to climate change. Climate scientists say the Siberian heatwave is a warning cry from the Arctic.

Record-breaking Arctic heat leaves Siberia 'red-faced'

Heatwaves have sparked hundreds of wildfires in Siberia. The chilly Arctic breeze has been snuffed out this summer. Global warming is melting the Arctic ice and burning its forests

Gravitas: The Arctic Turns Into An Oven

Russian firefighters have been seeding clouds to bring down rain over wildfires raging in Siberia, the authorities said on Friday.

The Russian forestry agency said active work was underway to battle 158 forest fires covering 46,261 hectares as of Friday. Just a few days ago, that area was more than three times larger.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russian-bounties-top-us-general-vows-response-if-intel-confirmed-312273">Russian bounties: Top US general vows 'response' if intel confirmed</a>

Firefighters were using planes to fire chemicals into the clouds above fires in northern, remote parts of the Krasnoyarsk and Irkutsk regions of Siberia, the agency said.

Sweltering heat and dry weather have helped wildfires spread across the region and into the boreal forest and tundra that blanket northern Russia.

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Environmental group Greenpeace, which monitors the spread of wildfires in Russia, confirmed that rain has helped reduce fires in northern Siberia but that others had appeared in the south near the big regional cities of Irkutsk and Krasnoyarsk.

Greenpeace said that 4.62 million hectares of forest had burned across Russia since the start of the year.

States of emergency have been declared in the regions of Krasnoyarsk and Yakutia, and in parts of several other Russian regions.

Scientists say they expect record-breaking temperatures in Siberia - which reached as high as 38 Celsius (more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit) last month, according to reports - will continue to spawn wildfires and cause more greenhouse gases to be released into the air.

Copernicus, the EU's earth observation programme, said that temperatures in Arctic Siberia had soared to a record average for June, more than 5 degrees Celsius (9°F) above normal.

Russian firefighters have been seeding clouds to bring down rain over wildfires raging in Siberia, the authorities said on Friday. The Russian forestry agency said active work was underway to battle 158 forest fires covering 46,261 hectares as of Friday.

Russian firefighters have been seeding clouds to bring down rain over wildfires raging in Siberia, the authorities said on Friday. The Russian forestry agency said active work was underway to battle 158 forest fires covering 46,261 hectares as of Friday. Just a few days ago, that area was more than three times larger. Also read: Russian bounties: Top US general vows 'response' if intel confirmed Firefighters were using planes to fire chemicals into the clouds above fires in northern, remote parts of the Krasnoyarsk and Irkutsk regions of Siberia, the agency said. Sweltering heat and dry weather have helped wildfires spread across the region and into the boreal forest and tundra that blanket northern Russia. Environmental group Greenpeace, which monitors the spread of wildfires in Russia, confirmed that rain has helped reduce fires in northern Siberia but that others had appeared in the south near the big regional cities of Irkutsk and Krasnoyarsk. Greenpeace said that 4.62 million hectares of forest had burned across Russia since the start of the year. States of emergency have been declared in the regions of Krasnoyarsk and Yakutia, and in parts of several other Russian regions. Scientists say they expect record-breaking temperatures in Siberia - which reached as high as 38 Celsius (more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit) last month, according to reports - will continue to spawn wildfires and cause more greenhouse gases to be released into the air. Copernicus, the EU's earth observation programme, said that temperatures in Arctic Siberia had soared to a record average for June, more than 5 degrees Celsius (9°F) above normal.

Russia seeds clouds in Siberia to douse raging wildfires

Temperatures in Arctic Siberia soared to a record average for June amid a heatwave that is stoking some of the worst wildfires the region has ever known

Siberian Arctic average temperature increased by 5 degree celsius

Eastern Siberia is known for the cold wintertime temperatures but this year the region has witnessed wildly high temperatures and fires. Watch report.

Your Story: Siberia battles wildfires and heatwaves, Satellite images show clouds of smoke

A north-eastern Siberian town looks to have set a record for the highest temperature ever documented in the Arctic Circle. Siberia is a region of Russia that lies above 66 half North hemisphere on Earth.

Siberia's Verkhoyansk town records highest-ever temperature

It has been the hottest May for Siberia since records began in 1979. And that's making climate change scientists worried. They say it's an alarming sign.

Surface temperatures in Siberia were up to 10 degrees Celsius higher than average last month. Siberia's warmer weather came as the world experienced its hottest May on record, the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) findings show.

In Siberia, it wasn't just May that was warmer than usual -- the region experienced periods of higher-than-average surface air temperatures throughout winter and spring, with warmer temperatures particularly from January, C3S found.

According to C3S, it's unusual to see warmer-than-average temperatures for so many months in a row.

Scientists say the Arctic region is warming, on average, twice as quickly as the rest of the planet as a consequence of global warming.

It has been the hottest May for Siberia since records began in 1979. And that's making climate change scientists worried. They say it's an alarming sign. Surface temperatures in Siberia were up to 10 degrees Celsius higher than average last month.

It has been the hottest May for Siberia since records began in 1979. And that's making climate change scientists worried. They say it's an alarming sign. Surface temperatures in Siberia were up to 10 degrees Celsius higher than average last month. Siberia's warmer weather came as the world experienced its hottest May on record, the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) findings show. In Siberia, it wasn't just May that was warmer than usual -- the region experienced periods of higher-than-average surface air temperatures throughout winter and spring, with warmer temperatures particularly from January, C3S found. According to C3S, it's unusual to see warmer-than-average temperatures for so many months in a row. Scientists say the Arctic region is warming, on average, twice as quickly as the rest of the planet as a consequence of global warming.

Siberia's prolonged unusually warm weather is an 'alarming sign', scientist says

Waterways near Russia's Siberian city of Norilsk have been rapidly polluted by a spill of more than 20,000 tonnes of diesel fuel in recent days. Watch report.

WION Fineprint: Siberia oil spill, 21,000 tonnes of diesel leeks in Siberia

Russian officials are struggling to clean up an oil spill in a region in northern Siberia after an oil leak that began at the end of May was found to have released over 21,000 tons of diesel into the Arctic Ocean. Watch report.

Clean up efforts in Siberia continue: 20,000 tons of diesel spilled

A 46,000-year-old frozen bird has been discovered in north-eastern <a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/when-siberia-shivers-its-time-to-fix-ships-in-the-ice-197167">Siberia</a>.

The scientists have identified the specimen as a horned lark (eremophila alpestris)&nbsp; after its radiocarbon dating according to a paper published Friday in the journal Communications Biology.

The bird was buried and frozen in permafrost near the village of Belaya Gora in north-eastern <a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/when-siberia-shivers-its-time-to-fix-ships-in-the-ice-197167">Siberia</a>.

Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/when-siberia-shivers-its-time-to-fix-ships-in-the-ice-197167">When Siberia shivers it's time to fix ships in the ice</a>

It was discovered by local fossil ivory hunters, who passed it on to a team of experts&nbsp;for testing.

These experts included Nicolas Dussex and Love Dalen from the Swedish Museum of Natural History.

According to Dalen, ''the bird may be an ancestor to two subspecies of lark alive today, one in northern Russia and the other on the Mongolian steppe''.

"This finding implies that the climatic changes that took place at the end of the last Ice Age led to formation of new subspecies," he added.

Watch: Siberia's warm weather wakes sleepy badgers and Rambo

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/siberias-warm-weather-wakes-sleepy-badgers-and-rambo-280586/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The specimen is in extraordinarily good condition as per Dussex.

"The fact that such a small and fragile specimen was near intact also suggests that dirt must have been deposited gradually, or at least that the ground was relatively stable so that the bird's carcass was preserved in a state very close to its time of death," he said.

In the next stage of research, the bird's entire genome will be sequenced which will reveal more about its relationship to present day subspecies and estimate the rate of evolutionary change in larks.

&nbsp;

A 46,000-year-old frozen bird has been discovered in north-eastern Siberia. The scientists have identified the specimen as a horned lark (eremophila alpestris) after its radiocarbon dating according to a paper published Friday in the journal Communications Biology.

A 46,000-year-old frozen bird has been discovered in north-eastern Siberia. The scientists have identified the specimen as a horned lark (eremophila alpestris) after its radiocarbon dating according to a paper published Friday in the journal Communications Biology. The bird was buried and frozen in permafrost near the village of Belaya Gora in north-eastern Siberia. Also read: When Siberia shivers it's time to fix ships in the ice It was discovered by local fossil ivory hunters, who passed it on to a team of experts for testing. These experts included Nicolas Dussex and Love Dalen from the Swedish Museum of Natural History. According to Dalen, ''the bird may be an ancestor to two subspecies of lark alive today, one in northern Russia and the other on the Mongolian steppe''. "This finding implies that the climatic changes that took place at the end of the last Ice Age led to formation of new subspecies," he added. Watch: Siberia's warm weather wakes sleepy badgers and Rambo The specimen is in extraordinarily good condition as per Dussex. "The fact that such a small and fragile specimen was near intact also suggests that dirt must have been deposited gradually, or at least that the ground was relatively stable so that the bird's carcass was preserved in a state very close to its time of death," he said. In the next stage of research, the bird's entire genome will be sequenced which will reveal more about its relationship to present day subspecies and estimate the rate of evolutionary change in larks.

46,000-year-old frozen bird discovered in Siberia

Early spring is expected in Siberian city of Irkutsk following a mild and warm winter as two young badgers woke up weeks earlier than expected, a local zoo said on Monday (February 10).

Siberia's warm weather wakes sleepy badgers and Rambo

Snow, Ice & Bone-Chilling Temperatures: America Is The New Siberia

Gravitas: United States turns into Siberia

Three officials at a gold mine in Siberia where 15 people died after a<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/at-least-15-killed-by-dam-collapse-at-siberian-gold-mine-256894"> dam collapsed</a> were arrested on Sunday, the Russian authorities said.

"The head of the gold mining company Sissim and the manager and foreman of the mining site have been arrested," the Investigative Committee, a powerful inquiry agency, said in a statement.

The three have been taken to Krasnoyarsk for questioning, it said.

In addition to the 15 deaths, six people were listed as missing on Saturday after the dam on the Seiba River burst and flooded cabins where workers were living.

The Investigative Committee said raids had been carried out on the company's premises.

"Violations committed during gold mining" were being considered as the lead cause of the accident, it said.

Officials said the dam had been built in breach of safety rules and claimed that the authorities were not even aware of its existence.

A search operation has been launched but bad weather has prevented the use of aviation, the Emergency Situations Ministry said.

The tragedy drew fresh attention to mining practices in Russia, which holds some of the largest gold reserves in the world.

It extracted nearly 300 tonnes last year, mostly by large companies.

Other production comes from artisanal teams involved in alluvial production, using techniques that environmentalists say badly damages river life. 
&nbsp;

Three officials at a gold mine in Siberia where 15 people died after a dam collapsed were arrested on Sunday, the Russian authorities said. "The head of the gold mining company Sissim and the manager and foreman of the mining site have been arrested," the Investigative Committee, a powerful inquiry agency, said in a statement.

Three officials at a gold mine in Siberia where 15 people died after a dam collapsed were arrested on Sunday, the Russian authorities said. "The head of the gold mining company Sissim and the manager and foreman of the mining site have been arrested," the Investigative Committee, a powerful inquiry agency, said in a statement. The three have been taken to Krasnoyarsk for questioning, it said. In addition to the 15 deaths, six people were listed as missing on Saturday after the dam on the Seiba River burst and flooded cabins where workers were living. The Investigative Committee said raids had been carried out on the company's premises. "Violations committed during gold mining" were being considered as the lead cause of the accident, it said. Officials said the dam had been built in breach of safety rules and claimed that the authorities were not even aware of its existence. A search operation has been launched but bad weather has prevented the use of aviation, the Emergency Situations Ministry said. The tragedy drew fresh attention to mining practices in Russia, which holds some of the largest gold reserves in the world. It extracted nearly 300 tonnes last year, mostly by large companies. Other production comes from artisanal teams involved in alluvial production, using techniques that environmentalists say badly damages river life.

Three arrested after dam mishap in Siberia

Two Russians were hospitalized with shrapnel wounds on Monday after a blast at a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/fourteen-sailors-killed-in-russia-submersible-fire-ministry-232527">Russian military base</a> in the Siberian region of Krasnoyarsk, RIA news agency cited doctors and emergency services as saying. 
An ammunition depot at the base caught fire and people in the nearby village of Kamenka were being evacuated, emergency services were quoted as saying.&nbsp;

Two Russians were hospitalized with shrapnel wounds on Monday after a blast at a Russian military base in the Siberian region of Krasnoyarsk, RIA news agency cited doctors and emergency services as saying.

Two Russians were hospitalized with shrapnel wounds on Monday after a blast at a Russian military base in the Siberian region of Krasnoyarsk, RIA news agency cited doctors and emergency services as saying. An ammunition depot at the base caught fire and people in the nearby village of Kamenka were being evacuated, emergency services were quoted as saying.

Blast rocks Russian arms depot in Siberia, two hospitalized: RIA

The second round of floods has hit the Siberian region of Irkutsk. Local Authorities has said that over 20 towns and villages have been affected. Watch this video to know more.

Siberian floods: Over 20 towns, villages affected

Diamonds are forever, and so is the permanently frozen ground of Yakutia in northeastern Siberia, home to huge diamond deposits that ensure Russia's supremacy as the world's leading diamond producer.

Russia digs for diamonds in Yakutia's permafrost

Two people were killed and seven injured when an Antonov An-24 passenger plane made an emergency landing on Thursday at an airport in Russia's Buryatia region in Siberia, the area's emergency situations ministry said.

The plane carrying 48 people, including 5 crew members, overshot the runway after landing, hit a small building and caught fire, regional authorities said.&nbsp;

The aircraft took off from the regional capital of Ulan-Ude and flew to Nizhneangarsk, where it was forced to make an emergency landing when one of its engines failed, they said.&nbsp;

Video shot by a passenger from a plane window showed the aircraft coming into land on the runway before rolling into a field and then suddenly violently halting with passengers screaming onboard.&nbsp;

Regional authorities said a pilot and technician had been killed in the accident, but all the passengers had been safely evacuated before a fire destroyed the plane.&nbsp;

The flight was operated by Russian regional airline Angara, media reported.

Two people were killed and seven injured when an Antonov An-24 passenger plane made an emergency landing on Thursday at an airport in Russia's Buryatia region in Siberia, the area's emergency situations ministry said.

Two people were killed and seven injured when an Antonov An-24 passenger plane made an emergency landing on Thursday at an airport in Russia's Buryatia region in Siberia, the area's emergency situations ministry said. The plane carrying 48 people, including 5 crew members, overshot the runway after landing, hit a small building and caught fire, regional authorities said. The aircraft took off from the regional capital of Ulan-Ude and flew to Nizhneangarsk, where it was forced to make an emergency landing when one of its engines failed, they said. Video shot by a passenger from a plane window showed the aircraft coming into land on the runway before rolling into a field and then suddenly violently halting with passengers screaming onboard. Regional authorities said a pilot and technician had been killed in the accident, but all the passengers had been safely evacuated before a fire destroyed the plane. The flight was operated by Russian regional airline Angara, media reported.

Two killed, seven injured as Russian plane makes emergency landing in Siberia

Serbian town turns into 'Mordor' after black snow covers industrial hub

Siberian dockworkers at work in minus 50 degree Celsius

Earth's magnetic north pole is drifting by about 55 kilometres a year. And the drift is picking&nbsp;up pace; in 2000, the magnetic north pole was moving at about 15 kilometres a year.&nbsp;

The magnetic north pole was first measured in 1831 in the Canadian Arctic. It has since then moved some 2,300 kilometres. It&nbsp;crossed the International Date Line in 2017 and is now leaving the Canadian Arctic for Siberia.

The movement of course has begun to mess up navigation.&nbsp;

NASA uses the magnetic north pole, as do airplanes and boats, usually as backup navigation. The drifting magnetic north is also messing up compasses in smartphones and some consumer electronics.

GPS, fortunately,&nbsp;is not affected since it is satellite-based.&nbsp;

AP quoted University of Maryland geophysicist Daniel Lathrop as saying the&nbsp;reason behind the shift is&nbsp;turbulence in the Earth's liquid outer core. There is a hot liquid ocean of iron and nickel in the planet's core and its motion generates an electric field.

For now, the magnetic south pole is moving far more slowly than the north. Finally, the two will flip places.&nbsp;

Not to worry, it's happened before in the past — several times, just not in the last 780,000 years.&nbsp;

Earth's magnetic north pole is drifting by about 55 kilometres a year. And the drift is picking up pace; in 2000, the magnetic north pole was moving at about 15 kilometres a year.

Earth's magnetic north pole is drifting by about 55 kilometres a year. And the drift is picking up pace; in 2000, the magnetic north pole was moving at about 15 kilometres a year. The magnetic north pole was first measured in 1831 in the Canadian Arctic. It has since then moved some 2,300 kilometres. It crossed the International Date Line in 2017 and is now leaving the Canadian Arctic for Siberia. The movement of course has begun to mess up navigation. NASA uses the magnetic north pole, as do airplanes and boats, usually as backup navigation. The drifting magnetic north is also messing up compasses in smartphones and some consumer electronics. GPS, fortunately, is not affected since it is satellite-based. AP quoted University of Maryland geophysicist Daniel Lathrop as saying the reason behind the shift is turbulence in the Earth's liquid outer core. There is a hot liquid ocean of iron and nickel in the planet's core and its motion generates an electric field. For now, the magnetic south pole is moving far more slowly than the north. Finally, the two will flip places. Not to worry, it's happened before in the past — several times, just not in the last 780,000 years.

Magnetic north pole moving 55 kilometres a year, disrupting navigation

A Siberian policeman who raped and killed women after offering them late-night rides was found guilty of dozens of more murders on Monday, making him Russia's most prolific serial killer of recent times.

A court in the city of Irkutsk found Mikhail Popkov guilty of 56 murders between 1992 and 2007, sentencing him to a second life term. He was already in prison after being convicted of killing 22 women in 2015.

Popkov offered rides to women late at night, sometimes in his police car, while off-duty around his city of Angarsk near Irkutsk,&nbsp; 4,200 kilometres (2,600 miles) east of Moscow.

His murderous spree initially went unnoticed during a period of rampant mafia killings in the crime-ridden city.

He killed his victims using weapons including a hammer and an axe, then dumped their bodies in the woods, at the side of the road and in a cemetery.&nbsp;

He was also found guilty of raping 11 of the women.

Popkov described himself as a "cleaner" who was purging his home city of prostitutes.&nbsp;

All but one of his victims were women between the ages of 16 and 40. His one male victim was a policeman he gave a ride to late at night and killed in a forest.

The grey-haired 54-year-old appeared in court in prison uniform, his head bowed. He will be sent to a prison that is exclusively for convicts serving life terms, nicknamed the "Black Dolphin".

As part of his sentence a rare case in Russia of a convicted murderer being given a second life sentence Popkov was also deprived of his police pension.

He intends to appeal against the sentence, regional prosecutor Alexander Shkinev told Russian news agencies.

Covered his tracks&nbsp;

Prosecutors on Monday described Popkov as having "a pathological attraction to killing people" and "homicidal mania with sadistic elements," but he was ruled sane enough to stand trial.&nbsp;

Investigators had suspected a policeman because of the way the killer carefully covered his tracks.

The murders took place while he was a serving police officer and after he left the force in 1998.

Popkov was caught in 2012 after investigators re-examined the case and carried out DNA testing of residents, focusing on those who drove a make of car that matched tracks found at crime scenes.

In a 2017 interview with Russia's Meduza website, Popkov said he gave women lifts and targeted those who were drunk or living in a way he saw as immoral, adding that "any society condemns the behaviour of a debauched woman".

While in jail, he confessed to 59 further murders but was convicted only of 56 on Monday because investigators had not managed to prove three of the crimes took place, Interfax news agency reported, citing the court's press service.

Investigators said they uncovered the remains of some of the victims' bodies based on Popkov's account, as well as finding murder weapons including axes, screwdrivers and knives.&nbsp;

The number of killings for which he has been convicted exceeds the totals of several notorious murderers in Russia and the ex-Soviet Union.&nbsp;

"Chessboard Killer" Alexander Pichushkin was jailed for life in 2007 for 48 murders, mostly of elderly men he met in a Moscow park. He aimed to kill one person for each of the 64 squares on the chessboard.

Andrei Chikatilo was convicted of 52 Soviet-era murders that were sexually motivated. He was known as the "Butcher of Rostov" after the area of southern Russia where he was most active. He was executed in 1994 before Russia imposed a moratorium on the death penalty.

Popkov reportedly boasted to cellmates that he had committed more murders than Chikatilo.

A Siberian policeman who raped and killed women after offering them late-night rides was found guilty of dozens of more murders on Monday, making him Russia's most prolific serial killer of recent times.

A Siberian policeman who raped and killed women after offering them late-night rides was found guilty of dozens of more murders on Monday, making him Russia's most prolific serial killer of recent times. A court in the city of Irkutsk found Mikhail Popkov guilty of 56 murders between 1992 and 2007, sentencing him to a second life term. He was already in prison after being convicted of killing 22 women in 2015. Popkov offered rides to women late at night, sometimes in his police car, while off-duty around his city of Angarsk near Irkutsk, 4,200 kilometres (2,600 miles) east of Moscow. His murderous spree initially went unnoticed during a period of rampant mafia killings in the crime-ridden city. He killed his victims using weapons including a hammer and an axe, then dumped their bodies in the woods, at the side of the road and in a cemetery. He was also found guilty of raping 11 of the women. Popkov described himself as a "cleaner" who was purging his home city of prostitutes. All but one of his victims were women between the ages of 16 and 40. His one male victim was a policeman he gave a ride to late at night and killed in a forest. The grey-haired 54-year-old appeared in court in prison uniform, his head bowed. He will be sent to a prison that is exclusively for convicts serving life terms, nicknamed the "Black Dolphin". As part of his sentence a rare case in Russia of a convicted murderer being given a second life sentence Popkov was also deprived of his police pension. He intends to appeal against the sentence, regional prosecutor Alexander Shkinev told Russian news agencies. Covered his tracks Prosecutors on Monday described Popkov as having "a pathological attraction to killing people" and "homicidal mania with sadistic elements," but he was ruled sane enough to stand trial. Investigators had suspected a policeman because of the way the killer carefully covered his tracks. The murders took place while he was a serving police officer and after he left the force in 1998. Popkov was caught in 2012 after investigators re-examined the case and carried out DNA testing of residents, focusing on those who drove a make of car that matched tracks found at crime scenes. In a 2017 interview with Russia's Meduza website, Popkov said he gave women lifts and targeted those who were drunk or living in a way he saw as immoral, adding that "any society condemns the behaviour of a debauched woman". While in jail, he confessed to 59 further murders but was convicted only of 56 on Monday because investigators had not managed to prove three of the crimes took place, Interfax news agency reported, citing the court's press service. Investigators said they uncovered the remains of some of the victims' bodies based on Popkov's account, as well as finding murder weapons including axes, screwdrivers and knives. The number of killings for which he has been convicted exceeds the totals of several notorious murderers in Russia and the ex-Soviet Union. "Chessboard Killer" Alexander Pichushkin was jailed for life in 2007 for 48 murders, mostly of elderly men he met in a Moscow park. He aimed to kill one person for each of the 64 squares on the chessboard. Andrei Chikatilo was convicted of 52 Soviet-era murders that were sexually motivated. He was known as the "Butcher of Rostov" after the area of southern Russia where he was most active. He was executed in 1994 before Russia imposed a moratorium on the death penalty. Popkov reportedly boasted to cellmates that he had committed more murders than Chikatilo.

Siberian serial killer cop convicted of dozens more murders

Fire kills 37 at Siberian shopping mall, scores still missing At least 37 people were killed when a fire ripped through a busy shopping centre in an industrial city in western Siberia, with scores more reported missing, including children. Porn actress talks of Trump affair in interview, says was threatened to keep quiet about it Porn actress Stormy Daniels said she was threatened in a bid to keep her silent about her alleged fling with Donald Trump, which she detailed in a highly-anticipated primetime TV interview today. Shatrughan Sinha meets Lalu Yadav, family calls court verdict against him 'heartbreaking and non-expected' Senior BJP MP from Patna Sahib, Bihar, Shatrughan Sinha who frequently draws controversies over his repeated attacks on his own political party has yet again invited attention after his meet with BJP arch-rival RJD chief Lalu Yadav and his family. PM's flight records cannot be disclosed under RTI due to security reasons: Air India Records pertaining to the Prime Minister's chartered flights for visits abroad cannot be disclosed under the RTI Act due to security concerns as per instructions from the PMO, the national carrier has said in response to an application filed by an activist under the transparency law. Clashes in Catalonia after Puigdemont arrested in Germany Thousands of Catalan separatists faced off with police in Catalonia on Sunday following the arrest in Germany of the region`s former president Carles Puigdemont five months after he fled Spain.

Fire kills 37 at Siberian shopping mall, scores still missing At least 37 people were killed when a fire ripped through a busy shopping centre in an industrial city in western Siberia, with scores more reported missing, including children. Porn actress talks of Trump affair in interview, says was threatened to keep quiet about it Porn actress Stormy Daniels said she was threatened in a bid to keep her silent about her alleged fling with Donald Trump, which she detailed in a highly-anticipated primetime TV interview today. Shatrughan Sinha meets Lalu Yadav, family calls court verdict against him 'heartbreaking and non-expected' Senior BJP MP from Patna Sahib, Bihar, Shatrughan Sinha who frequently draws controversies over his repeated attacks on his own political party has yet again invited attention after his meet with BJP arch-rival RJD chief Lalu Yadav and his family. PM's flight records cannot be disclosed under RTI due to security reasons: Air India Records pertaining to the Prime Minister's chartered flights for visits abroad cannot be disclosed under the RTI Act due to security concerns as per instructions from the PMO, the national carrier has said in response to an application filed by an activist under the transparency law. Clashes in Catalonia after Puigdemont arrested in Germany Thousands of Catalan separatists faced off with police in Catalonia on Sunday following the arrest in Germany of the region`s former president Carles Puigdemont five months after he fled Spain.

WION Morning News Brief, March 26, 2018

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