The death toll from bear attacks across Russia has risen to 31, including five fatalities in the Tomsk region, as hungry predators increasingly approach human settlements in Siberia and the Russian Far East.

The growing number of attacks is attributed to two main factors: a significant increase in Russia's bear population in recent years and a poor harvest of wild forest foods in the taiga in 2026, according to TASS.

The shortage of natural food sources is forcing bears to search for food closer to residential areas, leading to a rise in deadly encounters with people.

One of the latest tragedies occurred near the settlement of Kievsky in the Tomsk region, where the remains of a 55-year-old man were discovered at a remote forest cabin, along with signs of a bear attack.

Lyudmila Gavrilova, head of the administration of the Tolparovskoye rural settlement, said that the man had gone to the hunting cabin for several days accompanied by his dogs.

When he failed to return as scheduled, concerned relatives went looking for him. Inside the cabin, they found signs of a struggle, including open doors and damaged belongings. Outside, they discovered evidence of a bear attack and the man's remains.

Amid the sharp increase in incidents, authorities have introduced a heightened-alert regime across the Tomsk region.