VIIRS night-time thermal detections over the flare field near Nefteyugansky, Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug – Ugra (Russia), show 2 clusters burning hot enough (at least 5 MW) on at least 5 of the 30 nights from 29 August to 27 September 2026. The most persistent was lit on 18 nights, with a peak of 11.34 MW at that cluster and a maximum of 15.1 MW across 80 hot-night detections. Both clusters fall on sites already listed in the 2024 VNF annual flare summary — the nearest just 0.08 km away, credited with 0.16 BCM — an independent, provider-separate confirmation that these are known flare locations.
What this is not: heat alone cannot separate a gas flare from a furnace, refinery or kiln, and the fire power reading is not a volume. The VNF match is an annual aggregate from a past year, so it proves the site is a known flare, not this month's activity. Cloudy or smoky nights hide detections, so persistence counts are a floor. Unlit venting stays invisible.
What would change our mind: sustained gaps once skies are clear, methane readings from S5P or EMIT, or asset records showing a non-flare heat source.
Written by AI, then checked by a separate reviewer before publication. Every claim points at the evidence below.