Volcano eruption triggers highest aviation alert over Russia’s Far East (VIDEO)

The eruption of the Shiveluch volcano on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia’s Far East has sent a massive plume of ash 10 kilometers into the sky and triggered red-level aviation alerts for the area and nearby regions.

The ash cloud from Saturday’s eruption stretched some 50 kilometers from the volcano as it traveled east toward the Bering Sea, according to the Volcanology and Seismology Institute of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

A more powerful explosion that could send ash up to 12 kilometers into the sky “could occur at any time,” the institute warned. A video recorded by scientists and published on social media showed a massive plume of grey smoke and ash rising high into the sky above the volcano.

It is the second Shiveluch eruption in just a week. On Thursday, the volcano produced an ash column that reached eight kilometers above sea level.

Shiveluch, one of Kamchatka’s largest and most active volcanoes, has a history of significant eruptions. It is located around 450 km from the regional capital, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, and 50 km from the settlement of Klyuchi.

The previous red-level alert linked to its activity was issued in 2024, when it sent ash up to eight kilometers high. Another major eruption was reported in January 2026.