Arctic and North

10

Authors: Olga N. RUSSOVA, Тatyana S. SMAK, Ivan A. TARASOV,

Since 2016, Russia has been implementing the priority federal program “Formation of a Comfortable Urban Environment”. During this period, significant funds have been spent and hundreds of improvement projects implemented in the urban environment in both large and small cities across the country. How did these improvements affect the subjective assessment of the urban environment among citizens? Are the residents involved in the development of these projects, or are they indifferent to these topics? Is there a difference in assessing the quality of the urban environment by the citizens between small and medium cities, company towns and multifunctional metropolitan areas? The article is a partial analysis of a comprehensive study’s data, “The Formation of a Comfortable Urban Environment in the Arkhangelsk Oblast”. The survey was conducted among residents of 5 cities of the Arkhangelsk oblast (n = 793). The methodology for assessing social well-being is used. The cities studied are varied in the typology of size and the dominant form of employment. The results of the study demonstrate the interest of residents in implementation projects. Assessment of the current urban environment is recorded as moderately unsatisfied. Moreover, there is no fundamental difference in assessments of the urban environment’s current conditions in the opinions of residents of small and single-industry towns and citizens of a large, regional center city.

12

Authors: Nikolay E. EGOROV, Grigoriy S. KOVROV

The paper deals with the assessment of the level of innovative development of the Northern regions. Based on the data of the annual rating of innovative economies, performed by Bloomberg, a comparative analysis of the rating of innovative economies in the Nordic countries is presented. It is noted that Russia has been consistently ranked 25–27 in the last four years, although in 2016, it was in the 12th place. An overview analysis of methodological approaches and methods for assessing the level of innovative development of a region in Russia is carried out. On the basis of statistical data on the composite integral index, a comparative assessment of the level of innovative development of 17 regions of the Far North of the Russian Federation for 2017 is carried out, and the corresponding ranks are analyzed separately for 5 sub-indices of thematic blocks: socio-economic conditions, scientific and technical potential, innovation activity, export activity and the quality of regional innovation policy. The study shows a significant difference between the regions of the Far North of the Russian Federation in terms of the level of innovative development. In five subjects of the Far North of the Russian Federation, the values of the composite innovation index are higher than the average for the Russian Federation. Different positions occupied by regions are also observed in the rankings for individual sub-indices. The results of such ratings make it possible to assess the comparative advantages and disadvantages of specific regions for further consideration in the program documents on their innovative development.

14

Authors: Roman V. BADYLEVICH, Elena A. VERBINENKO

The article examines the issues of financing the development of the Russian Arctic territories and the participation of banking structures in this process. A set of strategic documents for the development of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation is considered, the dynamics of approved amounts of funding for Arctic development programs are analyzed, and the structure of sources of financing for investment in fixed assets in regions whose territory belongs to the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation is studied. It is concluded that banks are not sufficiently involved in investment activities in most of the Arctic regions (except the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, where the active role of banking institutions is due to participation in the financing of large gas and oil production projects in the Northern part of the region), and in recent years, foreign banking structures decline investment activity. The article describes the prospects of participation of the largest Russian banking structures in implementing large-scale projects in the Arctic, such as VTB Bank, Sberbank of Russia, and Gazprombank. The analysis of the possibilities of concentration of banking capital, as well as the use of mechanisms of public-private partnership based on the creation of a single financial institution with state participation is performed. The most effective form of improving the efficiency of financial flows management in the framework of strategic development of the Arctic territories can be the creation of The Bank for reconstruction and development of the Arctic.

14

Authors: Elena Yu. TERESHCHENKO

The article discusses several social aspects of the colonization of Eastern Murman (everyday life, daily work, religious beliefs, schooling, leisure). The historiographic analysis made it possible to identify the specifics of the local (everyday) history of the Kola Peninsula colonization. In the works of A.P. Engelhardt, A.G. Slezskinsky, S.Yu. Witte, S.O. Makarov, V.I. Nemirovich-Danchenko, K.K. Sluchevsky, D.N. Ostrovsky, A.K. Engelmeyer, V.I. Manotskov, A.K. Sidensner, N.V. Romanov, “Materials on the statistical study of Murman” and other sources provide facts from personal and family biography, the circumstances of resettlement to the Murmansk coast, living conditions, home furnishings, especially the education and upbringing of children. The descriptions of the migrants’ lifestyle recorded in the materials of expeditions and travel notes allow us to conclude that the colonists’ socio-cultural adaptation in Eastern Murman, the creation of a human habitat, was primarily associated with the development of the institution of the family. In general, the history of colonization is a unique experience in the development of the Arctic — one of the most productive in world history, which is vital for understanding the Russian North’s geography.

16

Authors: Anatoly M.Vasilyev

The purpose of the study is the rationale for creating a fisheries cluster in the Northern Basin. The analysis of the creation of classical clusters in foreign countries is carried out, information on the limited use of these structures is provided. The stages of clusterization of the fishing industry in Russia are considered. The reasons for the lack of implementation of numerous cluster projects are clarified. The main one is the refusal of fishing fleets to enter the cluster. The successful functioning of the fishery complex in the Northern Basin in the pre-market period is presented. The reasons for its destruction and the stagnation of enterprises and organizations' economies serving the main structures of the marine economic activity of fishing fleets are clarified. They are caused by a change in the structure of mining fleets, the development of uncontrolled export of fish products directly from the sea, with the departure of fishing vessels for repairs and maintenance to foreign ports. The practicality of creating a local fish cluster, the core of which will consist of fishing vessels with an incomplete cycle of processing aquatic biological resources and coastal fish processing enterprises, is justified. The proposed measures stimulate entry into the cluster. The study's practical significance lies in the creation of conditions for the deep processing of aquatic biological resources and the release of innovative fish products, as well as for the development of ship repair and other enterprises serving the fishing fleet.

16

Authors: Elena V. NEDOSEKA, Nikolay I. KARBAINOV

The article is devoted to the socio-economic adaptation of single-industry towns’ population on the example of single-industry settlements in the North-West of Russia. The work’s theoretical and methodological framework is the approaches of scientists who study the grassroots practices of survival of small towns and villages (seasonal work, commuting, a distributed way of life, the informal economy). The empirical base of the study are statistical data collected from the databases of EMISS, SPARK Interfax, the Foundation for the Development of Single-Industry Towns, websites of administrations of single-industry settlements in the Northwestern Federal District, as well as data from field studies collected by the method of semi-formalized interviews with representatives of administrations and deputies of city and regional councils, with ordinary residents of single-industry towns in Republic of Karelia, Leningrad and Vologda oblasts. The study’s preliminary results are presented: first, an analysis of the contradictions in the management approach. Many single-industry settlements in the Northwestern Federal District do not meet the criteria according to which they are included in the official list of single-industry towns. Also, government support measures to rescue “dying” monotowns are ineffective. Secondly, empirical research results show that residents of single-industry towns have developed strategies for adapting to new socio-economic conditions of life, which are not associated with employment in a city-forming enterprise. These strategies include: 1) rotational work or seasonal work; 2) pendulum migration within spontaneous local agglomerations; 3) “distributed lifestyle”; 4) involvement in various spheres of the informal economy. Thus, single-industry towns “do not die” but survive primarily due to the population’s grassroots economic practices.

21

Authors: Tatiana P. SKUFINA, Marina N. MITROSHINA

The purpose of the article is to review scientific ideas about the transformation of the Russian Arctic's socio-economic space in the context of geopolitics, macroeconomics, and intraregional factors of development. This review's significance is determined by the fundamental problems that accompany the development of the Russian Arctic, the growing importance of this territory for the national economy. These contradictions' objectivity is confirmed, which naturally indicated the shortcomings of economic theory, which does not allow us to solve these contradictions. For example, the contradiction between the high costs of functioning of the economy, social sphere and the need to raise the level of socio-economic development of the Russian Arctic; between the tasks of increasing the exploitation of resources and the requirements of the environment, etc., that is, what objectively makes it challenging to solve the problem of sustainable development of the Arctic. However, the numerous scientific studies considered, correlated with transformations in politics, economy, and demography, allowed us to assert that ideas have their driving force, influence, and provide transformational processes in the Arctic. The specificity and the strong influence of geopolitics on socio-economic transformations in the Russian Arctic are identified, but at the same time, the significance of the manifestation of expansionism as an internal human need for settlement, fame, and wealth is emphasized, which also ensures the development of the Arctic. Systemic changes are identified, socio-economic trends in the Russian Arctic are presented, which allowed us to establish the positive impact of modern policy on the development of the Russian Arctic, which marks a trend of reducing demographic losses. The prospects for the socio-economic development of the Russian Arctic are considered, taking into account the current situation of the coronary crisis, internal transformation processes, the influence of politics.

13

Authors: Anton M. MAKSIMOV, Kristina O. MALININA, Tatyana A. BLYNSKAYA

The article considers the relationship of social capital, institutional and interpersonal trust, and entrepreneurial activity on the data of the Arkhangelsk Oblast. The authors, following R. Putnam, analyti-cally distinguish two types of social capital — bonding and bridging. The level of the former is measured by interpersonal trust indices, while the latter is measured by general and institutional trust indices. Based on the analysis of the sociological survey results, conducted by the authors of the article, it is shown that the level of bonding capital, based on trust in the nearest social environment, is quite high in the Arkhangelsk Oblast, but there is a shortage of bridging capital that based on trust in public institutions and civil solidarity. It is shown that the deficit of bridging social capital, associated with a low level of trust in institutions, increases the transaction costs of market agents like entrepreneurs, which negatively affects the implementation of the region's entrepreneurial potential. Thus, it is proved that the amount of social capital is a key non-economic factor that reduces the investment rating and entrepreneurial activity indicators in the region against the backdrop of low dynamics of gross regional product and population incomes and increasing government spending to stimulate small and medium-sized businesses.

14

Authors: Aleksandr V. KRUTIKOV, Olga O. SMIRNOVA, Lina K. BOCHAROVA

On March 5, 2020, the President of the Russian Federation approved a new edition of the Basics of State Policy in the Arctic for the period until 2035. The document defined the goals and objectives of the development of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation for the next 15 years. The main tool for imple-menting state policy in this high-latitude region should be a new strategy for the development of the Rus-sian Arctic zone. Summarizing and analyzing the results of the current Strategy for the socio-economic development of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation and ensuring national security for the period up to 2020 (Strategy) will allow us to concentrate the efforts of the state on the most significant problems of the macroregion. The article is devoted to reviewing the results of the implementation of the Strategy, the adoption of which, in 2013, among other things, stimulated the processes of separating the macroregion into an independent object of state administration. The authors analyze the goals, objectives, and results achieved at each stage of the Strategy. Their impact on the socio-economic development of the region as a whole is evaluated.

17

Authors: Elena A. KORCHAK

The modern paradigm of the theory and practice of social development is the concept of sustainable development, the emergence and spread of which was associated with the emphasis on environmental pollution and overpopulation of the planet against the background of limited natural resources. Today, sustainable development is defined as the result of the interaction of a man, the economic system, and nature at the global, national, regional, and local levels. It is expressed, to a certain extent, by economic, environmental, and social sustainability. Modern goals in the field of sustainable development are to promote green growth, rational environmental management, ensuring access to quality health and education services, and improving the well-being of the population. The latter implies, first, the reduction of multidimensional poverty, the numerous groups of social localization, i.e., disabled people, families with children, single-parent families, and ethnic minorities. The aim of the study is to assess the level and extent of poverty and its social localization in the framework of achieving sustainable development of the regions of the Russian Arctic. The relevance of the study is determined by the fact that the rates and proportions of sustainable development of the Russian Arctic depend on the qualitative state of human potential (carried by the population). The qualitative state of human potential depends on the level of well-being of the population, which determines the degree of satisfaction of needs for benefits and access to social services. Poverty as a socio-economic phenomenon creates threats of degradation of human potential. The research hypothesis is based on the understanding that poverty is a systemic factor that limits the possibilities of a high-quality reproduction of human potential and, accordingly, promising opportunities for achieving sustainable development in the Russian Arctic. The research methods were a statistical analysis of the socio-economic situation of families with children in the regions of the Russian Arctic, as well as an analysis of regulatory legal documents governing measures of social support for families, motherhood, paternity, and childhood. The research results are focused on their use for achieving sustainable development of the Russian Arctic.

18

Authors: Aleksandr N. PILYASOV

The article analyzes the phenomenon of the courage of economic decisions in the development of the Arctic. Courage is understood as a feature of contractual behavior - the ability to radically change or propose new terms of the development contract, which leads to dramatic shifts in the territorial, technological and organizational structure of the development process. In the modern development of the Arctic, new factors are considered that affect the courage of economic decisions. First of all, these are climate changes, which are pushing back the limits for marine logistics, development and extraction of natural resources in the Arctic from offshore platforms. The paper also considers the manifestations of developmental courage as a result of "infection" of large corporations from small venture companies and as a forced result of contractual in-tercorporate conflict. For modern development, the important factors that determine the courage of decisions are logistics, platform technologies and the complete or partial rejection of the use of icebreakers in favor of specialized vessels of the reinforced ice class. A point assessment of the courage of economic decisions for 24 projects of modern development of Arctic resources was carried out using the U-ETO algorithm: according to 12 indicators grouped in blocks of "unique-ness", "environment", "technologies", "organization". As a result of the assessment, it was con-cluded that the courage of economic decisions is not directly related to the capital intensity of in-vestment projects: relatively modest mining projects for new development can outperform ultra-capital-intensive investment projects for the development of hydrocarbons (for e.g., Bovanenkovo or Vankor) if they rely on innovative technologies, organizational structure and the marine envi-ronment for its logistics, mining and processing. A major contradiction in the modern develop-ment of the Russian Arctic is the contrast between the uniqueness of the natural assets of the field and the traditional methods of its development.

19

Authors: Jawahar BHAGWAT

Abstract. The opening of the Northern Sea route (NSR) due to the melting of the Arctic sea ice ushers in many opportunities. The International Maritime Organization has introduced several regulations for ship-ping and the training of seafarers. The Northern Sea Route has several challenges with respect to the infrastructure and the harsh weather conditions. The recent incident onboard the Viking Sky cruise liner was a reminder of such challenges. The Norwegian authorities responded admirably, and the Search and Rescue operation was conducted with the necessary coordinated effort in the shortest possible time. Other incidents along the NSR and increasing ship casualties in the Arctic region which have been analyzed with reference to the adequacy of existing regulations. The author’s opinion is that these incidents bring out a need to examine the adequacy of the Polar code, infrastructure along the NSR and the current state of Search and Rescue (SAR). From a practical point of view the Norwegian experience would be of interest to all Arctic states and the IMO. The evolution of the Polar Code and the challenges in implementation are discussed. The article puts forth several recommendations for improving cooperation and safety with the aim of making the NSR a viable alternative route. This article can be used for educational purposes at universities. It is relevant for civil servants, shipping authorities, search and rescue authorities and researchers involved in developing the Arctic sea routes and specifically the Northern Sea route.

19

Authors: Andrey V. SMIRNOV

The article presents an estimate of the Arctic population in 1900–2019 by country and macro-region, obtained using official statistics of eight Arctic States. Analysis of spatial and temporal data revealed the main patterns of the Arctic population formation. Calculations show the world’s Arctic population in-creased from 1.3 million in 1900 to 6.1 million in 1989, and then declined to 5.4 million in 2019. The share of Russia varied from 22% to 58%. The data show that interregional migration in the Russian Arctic had a decisive influence on the demographic dynamics of the Arctic in general. The main reasons for the decline in the Arctic population in different periods were the completion of cycles of natural resource development and lower quality of life in comparison with the central regions. To smooth out differences in national statistical accounting systems, the article examines the dynamics of the population in 17 major centers of settlement in the Arctic, where more than two-thirds of the population lives. Calculations show that urbanization and population concentration in several of the most attractive areas of the Arctic continue. Administrative and educational centers, which are points of attraction for residents of other Arctic territories, get an advantage. The results of the study allow us to predict the further evolution of the Arctic settlement system. They can be used in the development of strategies and programs for the spatial development of the North and the Arctic.

20

Authors: Pavel A. GUDEV

The Northern Sea Route (NSR) for the Russian Federation is a strategically important maritime communication with the status of a historically established national transport artery. Despite its applicabil-ity to the Arctic, and therefore to the waters of the NSR, the norms and provisions of the modern international maritime law, and, first of all, the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Russia declares the important role of the national legislation on the regulation of navigation on the NSR. Such a situation is conditioned by the existing historical practice, the tacit agreement of most states, as well as the special environmental vulnerability of the Arctic region and the desire to prevent the marine environment pollution due to the navigation. Among the main opponents of this approach is the USA, which traditionally disputes the unified permitting regime for navigation along the NSR as an example of Russia's extremely broad interpretation of the norms and provisions of UNCLOS. The first part of the paper will show how those legal approaches used by Russia to introduce the national level of the NSR regulation, i.e., the concept of internal historical waters and the method of straight baselines, do not contradict UNCLOS, as they go beyond its limits and are based mostly on customary norms of international law (the so-called international custom) rather than treaties. The U.S. disagreement with such an assertion is discredited by the fact that Washington is not a full party to UNCLOS, and thus cannot fully enjoy all the prerogatives it has introduced.

6

Authors: HEININEN Lassi

The scientific report Arctic Policies and Strategies — Analysis, Synthesis and Trends delivers a holistic analysis of the policies, strategies, and declarations of relevant Arctic stakeholders, and new / emerging trends of Arctic governance and geopolitics at the 2020s. The analysis, using quantitative and qualitative methods, is based on a coding of the text of 56 policy documents (in 1996–2019). It considers how different Arctic actors address issues around the following indicators: human dimension, governance, international cooperation, environmental protection, pollution, climate change, security, safety, economy, tourism, infrastructure, and science & education. The study shows that the most-coded quotes of Arctic States’ policy documents relate to Governance, Economy, International Cooperation, Human Dimension, and Environmental Protection included Pollution and Climate Change. Those of Indigenous Peoples Organizations explicitly address issues surrounding Indigenous rights, Governance and ‘Traditional knowledge.’ The most-quoted indicators of Observer states are Science & Education, International Cooperation and Economy. The overall trends of Arctic governance and geopolitics are: i) Ambivalence of Arctic development, incl. ‘political inability,’ whenever a balance is sought between environmental protection and economy; ii) The domination of states within the Arctic territory due to geopolitical stability and sovereignty vis-à-vis globalization; iii) Focus on science for problem-solving due to climate change; iv) Close interrelationship between the Arctic and Space (digital security, meteorology) due to globalization and rapidly advancing climate change in the Arctic.

9

Authors: SEVASTYANOV Dmitriy V.

The article discusses current trends in the development of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation (AZRF) and the peculiarities in the Arctic tourism organization. Over the past ten years, the geography of recreational nature management and international tourism in the Russian Arctic has significantly expanded. Among all the northern countries, Russia has the longest coastline in the Arctic and the largest sector of the adjacent shelf and waters of the seas of the Arctic Ocean (AO). So, its current economic and political interests in the polar zone are apparent. However, compared with neighboring Arctic countries, in the Russian Federation, for several reasons, the potential of Arctic tourism is far from being fully utilized. Natural and anthropogenic factors regulate its further development. On the example of actively developing cruise Arctic tourism in the Barents Sea region, the existing problems, and prospects of the possible development of tourism in the Arctic in current conditions are discussed. Based on the analysis of sources available on the modern development of Arctic tourism in general and in the Barents Sea basin, in particular, the author made conclusions about the factors limiting the growth of Arctic tourism in the Russian Federation.

13

Authors: DRANNIKOVA Natalia V.

The article analyzes oral narratives about the destruction of Orthodox religious buildings. Sources of the research are tests recorded during the folklore-anthropological expeditions of the Northern (Arctic) Federal University in the Mezen district of the Arkhangelsk Oblast (2009–2018). By the beginning of the 1930s, in Russia, the concept of “militant atheism” took shape and was approved, based on the idea of the counter-revolutionary meaning of religion and the anti-Soviet activities of believers. The object of our research is interdisciplinary. It is the subject of the study for oral history, folklore, social and cultural anthropology, and sociology. The sacrilege narratives are considered not so much as folklore or historical source, but as “a component of a local text ... whose function is not to “reflect”, but to “create” urban history, mythology, set the parameters for local identity.” A metanarrative is represented by the memories of the Mezen residents about the destruction of churches and the persecution of people for religious beliefs. It includes stories with the motives of dropping bells, punishment for the destruction of a church; desecration of cemeteries, the destruction of icons, the salvation of church property by the vil-lagers, the conversion of churches to schools, granaries, clubs or stables, and repression against priests and parishioners. The research allows tracing the dynamics of mass representations. There was a gap in the cultural memory of the Mezen residents. The Mezen religious stories testify that, in the cultural memory of the Mezen, they were supplanted to the periphery and replaced by the Soviet period values.

14

Authors: TODOROV Andrey A.

The article studies Svalbard’s role in the Arctic security agenda, the history of the implementation of the Paris Treaty 1920 with the emphasis on its security provisions, as well as the risks of engaging Svalbard in a military conflict in the region. Despite the demilitarized status of Svalbard, the evaluation of its role in the hard security situation in the Arctic is hampered by several factors. First, Norway sticks to a narrow interpretation of the Treaty 1920 provision that bans any use of the archipelago for warlike purposes. Norway does not consider such actions as the entry of military ships in Svalbard’s ports, overfly of military aircraft, and some other, contradicting with the Russian position, a violation of the Treaty. Second, the development of technologies, particularly of “dual” use, has posed the question of whether the application of some objects situated on Svalbard by the militaries — primarily the stations of space monitoring — are legitimate. Third, as the political uncertainty in the Arctic rises, Svalbard has been more often involved in the worst-case scenarios for the region — as a place vitally important for Russia and simultaneously representing potential vulnerability for NATO. At the same time, the author argues that the threat of a military conflict over Svalbard is minimal. The international Svalbard agenda is dominated by economic issues, whereas the stakeholders stay aware of the significant risks in case of a military conflict on Svalbard.

19

Authors: SINITSA Arseniy L.

A lot has been said about the low quality of territory development programs at the regional and municipal levels in Russian literature. However, rare examples are given to confirm this thesis. In the case of such closely related issues as demographic and the education system development at the municipal level, we consider the territorial planning schemes and show these issues are not given sufficient attention. In terms of demography, the main disadvantages are an insufficiently detailed analysis of the age distribution of the population and its dynamics, analysis of a very short period (1–4 years), underestimation of existing trends (e.g., a wave-like change in the population), and an extremely weak demographic forecast. Concerning the education system, the main disadvantages are a short review horizon (1–3 years), insufficient analysis of trends and justification of the proposed measures, the use of planned rather than real indicators, which leads to an underestimation of demographic trends, insufficient analysis of the accessibility of education institutions. A more detailed analysis of indicators over a greater number of years should be carried out to improve the quality of the schemes. When developing them, it is necessary to involve a specialist in demographic forecasting. Finally, it is required to create a model scheme that can be guided by developing schemes at the municipal level.

31

Authors: ZAIKOV Konstantin S., KONDRATOV Nikolay A., LIPINA Svetlana A., BOCHAROVA Lina K.

The Arctic in the 21st century remains a popular topic in the natural-scientific, economic, socio-humanitarian, and political spheres. The relevance of studying the Arctic is determined by the fact that in recent decades, deep and irreversible transformations have taken place in this region, and a full under-standing of the causes and consequences of which for the economy and environmental management has not yet developed. As a result of climate change and globalization, there is a growing interest in the Arctic macro-region on the part of many foreign countries that developed strategies and programs for the development of national Arctic zones at the beginning of the XXI century. Against the background of global competition for resources and transport communications, it seems relevant to analyze the features of the development of Russia's state policy for managing the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation in the XXI century. The article analyzes the mechanisms of implementation of Russian state policy in the Arctic based on the strategic planning system and reveals the bottlenecks in the system of state management of the Arctic region. It is concluded that the core of Russia's policy in the Arctic is innovative modernization that can ensure sustainable socio-economic development, infrastructure development, rational use of natural resources, protection of local ecosystems and development of indigenous communities.

10

Authors: Tatiana S. Minaeva, Vladimir A. Karelin

Svalbard, despite its remoteness from the mainland and traditional routes of communication, is an Arctic territory that has been attracting the attention of various countries and peoples for several centuries. In the 18th — first half of the 19th century, the archipelago was actively developed by Pomors, engaged in mammal hunting there. In the 19th century, Norwegians revealed their economic interest in Svalbard. Historical studies have repeatedly examined the cases of contacts between Pomors and Norwegians during mammal hunting expeditions to Svalbard, but none of the authors have studied the language contacts between Pomors and Norwegians during the development of Svalbard. The authors used an interdisciplinary approach and analyzed documentary and literary sources to formulate a hypothesis about the practice of Pomor-Norwegian contacts, incl. those in Russenorsk. The study presents a new issue for scientific discussions by both historians and linguists, which can serve as a basis for the development of international cooperation between Norway and Russia.

12

Authors: Oleg V. Uzkiy

The Barents Euro-Arctic Region is an integration of states and their administrative divisions, markedly different in terms of population living standards, but with a particular affinity that affords firm ground to consider the region as a separate geopolitical, economic, social and cultural macroregion. The article concentrates on the analysis of key results and achievements of Swedish chairmanship of the Barents Euro-Arctic Council (October 19, 2017 — October 3, 2019), evaluating the current status and prospects for further international cooperation within the framework of the BEAR.

13

Authors: Andrey A. Yakovchuk

The article summarizes the existing approaches to assessing the level of tourism at the local level. It allowed forming a system of key indicators and indicators of the tourism industry activity in the development of the hotel business; the development of tourism business; profitability of tourism and hospitality; the popularity of regional tourism products. Based on the formed system of indicators, the author's technique of a point estimation of development activity for the tourist branch was developed. As a result of testing of the proposed methodology in the Russian Arctic, we could reveal that the weaknesses of the Arctic territories was the low popularity of the local tourist products and low growth yield of the tourism industry, especially among the areas wholly included in the Russian Arctic. The conclusions are consistent with the results of an expert survey of participants of the tourism and recreational cluster of the Murmansk Oblast. A set of measures aimed at the development of the tourism industry of the Murmansk Oblast is proposed: the recognition of tourism as a subsidized industry at the level of the Oblast and its municipalities; consolidation in strategic and program documents of the territory on the formation of the local tourist brand, advertising, and information support of the local tourist product promotion on the internal and external markets; a campaign on the promotion of a positive tourist image of the Murmansk Oblast in mass media.

16

Authors: Jawahar BHAGWAT

The article studies the cooperation between Russia and India with specific reference to the Arctic region. The melting of the Arctic sea ice has seen increasing investment by Russia in the Arctic. The Russian Federation has sought strategic partners for the development of the Arctic, with the primary focus being on the development of the oil and gas industry and the Northern Sea Route. Russia and India have had diplomatic relations in diverse spheres such as space, atomic energy, defense, oil and gas, diamond in-dustry, steel industry among other areas. Russia’s focus on the Arctic ushers in many more opportunities for Russia and India to cooperate. India is one of the few countries to which Russia has accorded many investment opportunities in oil and gas and the diamond industry. India has made some investments in the oil and gas industry of the Russian Arctic. However, the article highlights that the energy deficit in India is critical, and it affects the development of the country. The article suggests more increased Indian investment in the Arctic, including phase II of the Yamal LNG project. The article brings out a need for greater cooperation in scientific research, specifically climate change and hydrography, and possible utilization of the enormous technically qualified human resource that India has in diverse areas of the Arctic. The article is relevant for diplomats, civil servants, oil and gas companies, strategic mineral companies, hydrographic authorities, and researchers in both countries engaged in developing the Arctic and the Northern Sea Route. The article may be of interest for relevant courses and programs at universities.

18

Authors: Aleksandr N. Pilyasov, Elena S. Putilova

The article summarizes the results of the analysis of 23 recent projects for the development of Russian Arctic resources in terms of the spatial effects they generate or rely on. It is proved to be the feature of the economic and geographical approach to the analysis of Arctic projects. The most critical change, compared with the realities of the late Soviet era, is the reliance on the sea logistics of most new projects for the development of Russian Arctic resources. Three main spatial effects of development projects are described in detail: the localization effect, the regional effect, and the corporate effect. The first one reflects the desire of companies to the utmost compactness and a sparsely populated production site, platform solutions using artificial intelligence, remote control, robotic mining, and processing schemes. The second effect revives the Soviet district effect within the contour of the resource corporation as their desire to provide cost savings on the “soft” infrastructure pairing of neighboring production facilities. The third effect characterizes the cooperation of usually competing companies in severe natural and economic conditions for the development of Arctic projects. It is untypical but may occur in some cases. The territorial structures of the new development space are also affected by the desire of companies to absolute control of the resource chain, to rely on previously created development bases, technological, organizational, and institutional innovations, which usually have a spatial “dimension”. An “ideal” corporate scheme for the modern development of Arctic resources — a separate autonomous production platform where production and processing are deployed, with uninhabited technologies and remote control of production, contradicts state interests and creates sharp spatial and social contrasts.