Arctic and North

5

Authors: Satikov R.V., Kim V.M.

This article reviews the current state of the Arctic policy of the Republic of Korea, which, like other states, has increased interest in the Arctic region in recent years, as well as its plan of activities in the Arctic and Antarctic for the coming years. The Republic of Korea needs to gradually develop an Arctic strategy at the government level to promote national interests in the Arctic region. The scientific significance of the article is related to the translation into Russian and analysis of the “Polar Activities Promotion Act for 20232027”, published in February 2023 by the Korean Institute of Marine Science & Technology Promo-tion. The article discusses the content and timing of the country’s 3 main polar policies: research and dis-covery, climate change forecasting, and polar development. In addition, 5 main strategies for promoting the Republic of Korea in the polar region are discussed, including: expanding the area of research of the territory, developing plans to solve environmental and climate problems, creating a polar industrial base, creating a network of cooperation with foreign countries and between industrial and scientific organiza-tions within the country, developing an interstate dialogue on polar activities.

10

Authors: Astakhova I.S., Zhdanova L.R.

The paper provides information about the expedition to the European North of Russia in 1843. The expedition travelled about 8000 miles (about 8427 km). The main route was connected with the wa-terway along the rivers Vychegda, Pechora, Izhma and their tributaries. Hiking routes were connected with the description of the Ural Mountains sites (Bolvano—Iz, Skala). On reindeer sledges, the expedition reached the coast of the Barents Sea and carried out geological and geographical work in the Timan tundra. The work was supervised by a paleontologist, corresponding member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences, Count A.A. Keyserling. The scientist described and paleontologically characterized the rocks of the Lower Silurian, Devonian, Permian, Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous age. As a result of the expedition, the main minerals (coal, gypsum, oil, domanic, copper ore, salt, grindstone) were studied. The significant geological and geographical result was the discovery of the Timan Ridge and its mapping. P.I. Krusenstern conducted topographic surveys, astronomical and geographical observations. He compiled a geographical map on a scale of 1:3000000 with a rectangular geographic grid and detailed drawing of rivers, lakes and settlements. The published works of the scientists are kept in the funds of the A. A. Chernov Geological Museum, Institute of Geology.

11

Authors: Troshina T.I.

The recovery period of the early 1920s in Soviet Russia coincided with the search for new forms of production management and was complicated not only by economic devastation, but also by the difficult international situation, political and economic blockade of the country. Under such conditions, the long overdue task of modernization of fishing and fur-trading was solved in the Arkhangelsk province, which first of all required providing the fishermen with the newest vessels. Lack of coal did not allow using steam vessels in full measure in the fishery; purchase and construction of vessels at foreign shipyards were also difficult. Therefore, it was decided to restore peasant shipyards as a temporary measure, centrally organizing the construction of small fishing vessels under the supervision of qualified technicians. The models used were Norwegian-built sailing, rowing and motor vessels, which were considered to be the most suitable for fishing in the White Sea and Arctic Ocean. The difficulties that the economic institutions had to face during the transition period (from war communism to the new economic policy) are considered in this article with the help of a large set of archival and published sources. The transition to the use of trawlers and icebreakers is explained not only by the tasks of modernization of the fishing economy, but also by the revolutionary ideology: to prevent conditions for the emergence of a prosperous layer of the Pomor population, which included shipbuilders and shipowners.

12

Authors: Korchak E.A.

The sustainable development of circumpolar countries is of great importance for the whole world, because the Arctic Region is currently experiencing an unprecedented level of economic activity. From the perspective of the concept of sustainable development, the intensification of industrial activity in the Arctic region makes the issues of achieving long-term environmental and social sustainability for local communities relevant. Despite the fact that the Arctic countries, especially the countries of Northern Eu-rope, are leaders in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals, additional attention is needed to coordinate efforts to achieve them at all levels of administrative-territorial management. The relevance of our study is determined by the need to overcome the challenges and threats to the sustainable development of the Arctic territories of circumpolar countries. The aim of the study was to analyze the social risks of achieving sustainable development of the Arctic region. The methodological basis of the study was the system approach, methods of structural-historical and comparative-geographical analysis. It was substantiated that social risks in achieving sustainable development in the Arctic region are limited access to educational services; social tension in the labor markets, produced by professional and qualification imbalances of labor demand and supply and problems of youth employment; child poverty and poverty of the indigenous population. The scientific novelty of the research is in substantiating the social risks that pose a threat to the sustainable development of the Arctic region. The prospects for further research are conditioned by the need to solve urgent socio-economic and managerial problems associated with the sustainable development of the Arctic region.

13

Authors: Zaikov K.S., Spiridonov A.A., Fadeev A.M.

The imposed sectoral restrictions on the Russian Federation and the current macroeconomic situation create prerequisites for building a new model of cooperation with Asian countries, primarily with the People’s Republic of China. The People’s Republic of China demonstrates a strategic approach to joint implementation of energy projects in the Arctic, having shares in joint ventures with Russian energy com-panies (Yamal LNG, Arctic LNG-2). Yamal LNG, the most complex technological project in the Arctic for the production of liquefied natural gas (LNG), located on the Yamal Peninsula above the Arctic Circle on the basis of the South Tambeyskoe field, has become the flagship of Russian-Chinese cooperation in the Arctic. The joint implementation of this project has the most important geostrategic and industrial significance in the global energy industry, clearly demonstrating the capabilities of the two countries in creating high-tech solutions for gas liquefaction in difficult climatic conditions. It is important that such projects have powerful complex-forming and multiplicative effects, creating conditions for the maximum utilisation of the industries of both countries, as well as for the construction of infrastructure along the Northern Sea Route and the creation of a high-tech fleet for the transportation of liquefied natural gas. Despite the existing legal disagreements between Russia and China regarding economic activities in the Arctic, in light of the current macroeconomic situation, interaction with Asian partners is a promising area of cooperation in the implementation of joint technological projects. With significant financial resources and accumulated engineering and technical competences, the People’s Republic of China is one of Russia's most reliable partners in the context of implementing energy projects. It is important that China is also a buyer of Russian energy resources, which ensures a stable market for hydrocarbons. The publication analyses the development of Russian-Chinese relations and considers the prospects for joint economic cooperation in the Arctic in the energy sector.

14

Authors: Artemyev А.А., Sidorova E.Yu.

The current regulation provides for the possibility of creating special (free) zones and equivalent territories (hereinafter — SEZ) in the Arctic (territories of advanced development and the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation). Within the framework of SEZs, the customs procedure of a free customs zone (hereinafter — FCZ) can be applied, which provides opportunities to conduct economic activities with foreign goods without paying customs duties. The purpose of the study is to investigate the peculiarities of applying the customs procedure of a free customs zone in the Arctic. The following research methods were used in the preparation of the article: economic, analytical methods, method of comparison and generalization. This simplification can be demanded by Russian organizations — residents (participants) of the territories of advanced development and the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation. The proposed article is devoted to the consideration of the mechanisms of the above-mentioned simplifications provided for the residents of the “Arctic” SEZ. At the same time, the application of the customs procedure of FCZ in the SEZ territories is an important tool of the state economic policy, designed to ensure the creation of comfortable conditions for taxation of foreign goods. Issues related to the status of goods manufactured in SEZs using foreign goods that are placed under the FCZ customs procedure are largely related to Russia’s international obligations underlying the current regulation. In practice, the set of legally established simplifications analyzed in the article creates conditions for more effective activity of SEZ residents.

18

Authors: Nedoseka E.V., Sharova E.N., Shorokhov D.M.

The purpose of the article is to determine the most significant causes of population decline in the regions of the Russian Arctic. The object of the study was the urban population of the subjects of the Russian Arctic. The concept of a shrinking city, which has received various interpretations both in foreign and domestic scientific thought, was chosen as a theoretical framework for understanding the problem. In this article, the shrinkage of cities is understood as a cumulative result of economic and demographic factors that cause population decline in the form of natural loss and migration outflow. On the basis of statistical data, a steady demographic decline was recorded in the cities of the subjects of the Russian Arctic. This made it possible to confirm the validity of the use of this concept in relation to these territories. Based on the materials of domestic and foreign studies, the most general, systemic factors of population decline in the regions of the Russian Arctic were identified, such as: the historical context and the policy of Soviet industrialization, the specifics of the local (regional) identity of the inhabitants of the northern territories, global demographic trends. At the empirical level, a more detailed analysis of the subjective perception of the reasons for the outflow of the population from the Murmansk Oblast, reflected in the public discourse of the participants of the online community of the city of Murmansk in the social network VKontakte, was carried out. The initial analysis base included posts and comments of the community for 20212022 (a total of 23.817 posts and 926.583 comments), the target sample included 268 posts and 2621 comments. Open and axial coding techniques were used to identify three groups of urban development issues as causes of the outflow of population from the region: 1) natural and climatic conditions, 2) quality of life, 3) prospects for the development of the city. Quantitative analysis of the number of comments (under posts) and likes (under comments) allowed us to identify the most significant and persistent problems, which, of course, are of increased interest to representatives of municipal and regional authorities.

20

Authors: Rozhneva S.S.

Being one of the strategically important regions for the development of the Russian Federation and a variety of aspects of its security, the Arctic represents a platform for defending the country’s national priorities. The nature of the policy pursued in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation determines the status of the state as an Arctic power. Therefore, the aim of the study was to investigate the electoral preferences and to design the electoral model of the residents of the Russian Arctic in the gubernatorial elections in the period from 2013 to 2022. By means of multifactor comparative analysis using the clustering methodology, the author managed to determine such variables for the construction of the electoral model of a resident of the Russian Arctic zone as the level of electoral activity, voting for typical and atypical candidates and for the conditionally designated candidate “against all” as a marker of legitimate support for registered candidates and/or protest voting. The study revealed that, unlike the other federal subject’s voters, residents of the Russian Arctic take a more active part in the election of the head of the region, providing electoral support to the candidates of the “United Russia”, although in some cases atypical voting was observed, the percentage of which was insignificant. At the same time, the data obtained show that the number of invalid ballots is higher in the Arctic regions than in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation. Thus, the constructed model of electoral behavior of the resident of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation in the implementation of regional policy in the region allows taking into account not only quantitative, but also qualitative parameters of electoral preferences of the Arctic residents to predict the results of future elections.