Moscow smog

Young American tourists brave the thick blanket of smog covering Moscow as they visit Red Square Photograph: Pavel Golovkin/AP

Passengers wait for their flights at Vnukovo airport outside Moscow Photograph: Alexander Natruskin/Reuters

Facemasks are a common sight on the streets Photograph: Alexander Demianchuk/Reuters

Early morning sun shines through the heavy smog Photograph: Andrey Smirnov/AFP/Getty Images

A traffic controller directs vehicles in central Moscow Photograph: Alexander Demianchuk/Reuters

Waiting for a flight home Photograph: Alexander Natruskin/Reuters

The spectacular architecture of Red Square is all but hidden in the smog Photograph: Misha Japaridze/AP

South-easterly winds from the worst affected regions of wildfire are blowing smoke towards the capital. Meteorologists do not expect the wind direction to change for a few days Photograph: Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP/Getty Images

Normally packed with tourists, this pleasure boat makes a lonely journey along the Moskva river Photograph: Alexey Sazonov/AFP/Getty Images

Innocent chores such as shopping have taken on a new menace. The death rate from toxic smog in Moscow has reached 700 a day Photograph: Sergei Chirikov/EPA

One of the few places in the city not affected by the smog is the subway system but one passenger is taking no chances Photograph: Alexander Demianchuk/Reuters

A woman covers her face with a tissue to protect herself Photograph: Alexander Demianchuk/Reuters

Tourists with face masks in Red Square Photograph: Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP

Trying to escape the stifling heat in the Moskva river on the outskirts of Moscow Photograph: Ivan Sekretarev/AP