Two women who went mushroom picking in a Siberian forest have been killed in separate bear attacks, with their bodies later found buried just five metres apart near the settlement of Podtyosovo in Russia’s Krasnoyarsk region.
Galina Teterina, 73, and Zoya G, 67, disappeared after entering the forest on 31 August. Their remains were discovered on 2 September, around three to four kilometres from the settlement, bearing injuries consistent with an attack by a wild animal.
Investigators believe the women encountered the same bear at different times. Zoya is thought to have been killed and buried first, before Galina arrived at the location several hours later and suffered a similar fate.
Russia’s Investigative Committee has opened a procedural inquiry, while forensic examinations are being carried out to establish the precise causes of death.
Bear threat puts Krasnoyarsk on high alert
The deaths have added to mounting concern over bear activity across the region. A bear was shot after being spotted close to a school in the neighbouring area of Yemelyanovo.
Authorities in Krasnoyarsk have since placed the city’s services on a heightened state of readiness, ordering increased patrols, closer monitoring and faster responses to reports from residents.
Students at Siberian Federal University were also told to remain in their dormitories because of a bear threat.
Sergey Vereshchagin, the mayor of Krasnoyarsk, said the emergency measures would allow city services and law-enforcement agencies to respond more quickly if predators appeared in populated areas.
Officials have blamed drought and wildfires for reducing supplies of pine nuts and berries, forcing hungry bears to venture closer to settlements in search of food. More than 120 bears described as “conflict” animals have reportedly been killed in the region this year — more than twice the figure recorded in 2025.
Nikolai Maltsev, head of the regional hunting-supervision department, said repeated appearances by predators near people represented “a direct threat to human life and health”.
