Russian Tour Guide Sentenced to Hard Labor After Bear Attack on Camchatka Tour

A Russian court has handed down a sentence of one and a half years of forced labor to a tour guide whose negligence led to a bear attack on a tourist in the Kamchatka region. The guide was found guilty of providing subpar services that failed to meet basic safety standards. The incident occurred in July 2025, when the guide led a group of 18 people on an expedition to the Mutnovskaya Geothermal Power Plant. Despite warnings from the group, who had observed bears roaming near their campsite, the guide chose to continue the tour. On the evening of the attack, the guide left a portion of the group, including the victim, a tourist from Saratov, at the campsite while he took others to explore the power plant. It was then that a bear attacked the woman, leaving her with serious injuries. The court also ruled that the guide must pay over one million rubles in compensation to the victim for emotional distress and that five percent of his earnings will be withheld by the state. This sentence serves as a stark reminder of the importance of prioritizing safety in adventure tourism.