Join thousands of others who rely on our journalism to navigate complex issues, uncover hidden truths, and challenge the status quo with our free newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox twice a week:

Join thousands of others who support our nonprofit journalism and help us deliver the news and analysis you won’t get anywhere else:

The death toll in Moscow, Russia’s capital, has doubled recently as wildfires blanketed the capital with toxic smoke amid the country’s worst heat wave in over a century.

An average of 700 people have died each day in the city since late last week due to the smog, which emanated from hundreds of raging wildfires that devastated towns and villages in the region, authorities say.

A “smog relief” centre has been opened recently to provide those affected with clean air to inhale in the form of oxygenated cocktails.

Al Jazeera’s Neave Barker reports from Moscow.