Dust and smog sweep across Ukrainian cities, authorities warn residents

The Sumy Regional Hydrometeorological Center has confirmed a significant decline in air quality in the eastern and northeastern oblasts. The cause is a combination of dust and smog, with some of it coming from Russian territory.

"If the dust is from the Caspian, the smog is definitely theirs. They’re dealing with large-scale forest fires right now. This mixture of dust and smog was blown here by a southeast wind," the report stated.

The highest concentration of particles in the air is currently being recorded in Sumy, Poltava, Dnipropetrovsk, and Mykolaiv Oblasts.

Ukrainians are being urged to stay indoors and keep their windows closed.

Videos of the dust storm have been posted online from Sumy, Kharkiv, Dnipro, and other cities. Ukrainians describe everything outside being covered in yellow dust, making it hard to breathe and nearly impossible to see the sun through the smog.