Avoid travelling to Moscow, at least for the time being.
The Russian health officials are warning people in Moscow to stay inside and avoid physical exertion as smog from the worst wildfires in modern Russian history smothers the city. And the US State Department issued a travel alert for areas around Moscow through September 5.
As people in Russia put it, at this moment even breathing becomes a challenge. In recent days, the daytime temperatures in Moscow have remained close to 40C (104F) and the mortality rate has risen by 50% than that of last year. Some people are even wearing face masks indoors.
Domodedovo airport is seeing regular delays, red square is discoloured by the haze, and you are most likely to enjoy none of the sites in the choking smoke. If you are still determined to go, try flying to Novosibirsk and heading to east, or from Beijing or Vladivostok and moving west – but avoiding Moscow.