Vladimir Putin met with Russian and Ukrainian pilots at the Voronezh airfield, where his plane landed.

The prime minister thanked the crews for their help in fighting the fires. "The situation here is very tense, the heat is incredible for this region, temperatures are the highest in the last 140 years," he said.

The crews of two Antonov An-34 aircraft of the Ukrainian Emergency Situations Ministry, who arrived at the Voronezh Region to assist in fighting the wildfires, told the prime minister that they had already made four flights.

At the airfield Vladimir Putin also talked with the crew of a police helicopter, which normally monitors traffic and road conditions from the air. The pilots told the prime minister that in this emergency situation they were collecting information about new forest fires. "It is crucial to get current information. I understand that this is not your direct responsibility, but what you are doing is very important," Vladimir Putin thanked the crew.