The transport complex of the Russian Far East acts as the closing link in the national transport system in interactions with Asian countries. The state allocates resources for infrastructure development, and the intensity of regulation increases. This defines the aim of the study: to analyze the impact of general economic conditions, noneconomic shocks, and government regulation on the parameters of the Far East transport complex in 2000–2023. For this, the territory of the Far Eastern Federal District is divided into the southern (mainline transit of extraregional cargo in the direction of seaports) and northern (servicing mainly intraregional turnover) zones. The unevenness of the general economic dynamics is taken into account by dividing the 2000–2023 interval into six periods: three periods of conditional stability and growth (2000–2007, 2010–2013, 2016–2019) and three periods of crisis (2008–2009, 2014–2015, 2020–2023). Based on official statistical data and using the shift-share analysis, the national, regional, and industry components of the dynamics (investments, GVA, number of employees) were calculated for two transport zones of the Far East in each time period. It is shown that the state’s focus on developing a latitudinal transit corridor resulted in higher performance in the southern transport zone of the Far Eastern Federal District and the predominance of the regional component in the structure of investment dynamics, beginning in 2008–2009. The dynamics of transport GVA during 2000–2023 were determined by the national component for both the southern and northern transport zones; its change was not symmetrical to investment growth. Employment in the transport sector in individual periods prior to 2016 was more closely linked to economic dynamics. Furthermore, its change, in addition to the general trends of the national labor market, is also explained by the specifics of the human resource policy of individual types of transport.
Based on 29 master plans for cities and urban agglomerations in Russia, developed between 2010 and 2025, the relationship between five thematic blocks was studied: (1) communication with beneficiaries; (2) socioeconomic development strategy; (3) territorial planning; (4) urbanism (urban environment); (5) implementation and resource provision. Using expert analysis, the share of attention and degree of elaboration of each block were identified. It has been established that master plans devote significant attention to both topics of socioeconomic development strategies (20
This paper studies the evolution of the spatial distribution of economic activity in Russia from 1995 to 2022, identifies the key factors and mechanisms that governed these changes, and explains the role of macroeconomic and global shocks of this period in the identified structural shifts. Descriptive statistics, Theil indices, and econometric estimates are used for the analysis. The study revealed the presence of stable trends: economic activity in Russia is gradually migrating from East to West, from peripheral regions to the European centers, and from regions with resource specialization to regions with predominantly manufacturing sectors. The mechanisms and factors of these spatial changes are primarily market-related and include accumulated fixed and human capital, the size and accessibility of external markets, and an agglomeration economy. The econometric analysis revealed no structural shifts in the contribution of significant factors that could have been caused by the transformation of the external environment in recent years. Regression estimates showed that government participation has a significant impact on regional business activity, but its effect is insufficient to reverse established trends in spatial evolution and initiate an eastern development vector. To address the challenge of spatial maneuvering eastward, government initiatives should include large-scale financial and organizational support for a series of large-scale, impactful projects with economic growth multipliers localized primarily in the country’s East.
The rapid increase in the number of migrants during the post-Soviet period has led to the emergence of phenomena not typical of Soviet times in Russian cities, such as irregular migration, ethnic entrepreneurship, and interethnic conflicts. This has led to a significant increase in the interest of scientists from various fields in the study of migrants. Over the past few decades, migrants and their communities have gone from being a secondary topic of research to one of the most popular subjects in the social sciences. At the same time, due to resource and methodological limitations, as well as a selective approach to consideration, no science has achieved sufficient research complexity, and many gaps remain hidden behind the interdisciplinary research. The article argues that methodological diversity and the vast potential of new data sources make geography a prime candidate for the role of a fundamental scientific discipline in the study of migrant communities. The dynamic nature of the object of study, associated with both the transformation of communities themselves and changing perceptions of ethnicity, is ideally suited to the approach of geography. With regard to the information base, the article describes and systematizes the main information sources used to investigate migrant communities. It also demonstrates the potential of geoinformation technologies in identifying these communities in social and geographic space. It is noted that the current dominant constructivist paradigm shifts the focus of geographers’ attention from the issues of migrants’ settlement pattern and concentration in cities to the study of migrant networks’ formation and functioning. This shift increases the relevance of utilizing new sources of big data, such as information from mobile network operators and social networks. In general, this trend in migration research in social geography is outlined, along with the opportunities presented by the digitalization of society and the emergence of new statistical resources. Sociocultural transformations in modern Russian cities also play a significant role in this process.
The article presents the results of a study on the connectivity of regions of Asian Russia based on indicators of permanent population migration as a variety of interregional interactions. It is assumed that the presence of intensive migration exchanges between regions indicates the connectivity, as do their sustainability and stability over time. The study use statistical data on interregional population migration of the Siberian Federal District, the Far Eastern Federal District, and Tyumen Oblast for 2015, 2019, and 2023. The study calculates the intensity (rate) coefficient of interregional migration flows between all pairs of regions of Asian Russia. Then, pairs of regions with the most pronounced values of migration exchange indicators were selected, followed by identification of groups of connected regions classified by geography (geographical proximity, common borders). The intensity of migration exchanges within those groups is higher than with territories outside. These groups are the Western and Southern groups in Western Siberia, the Yenisei and Baikal groups in Eastern Siberia, and a group of regions of the Far East. The study shows general trends in the migration processes: a decrease in migration exchanges and “Western drift,” which means that the intensity of the westward migration flow is higher than the intensity of the eastward migration flow. It describes the interregional migration connectivity according to the following parameters: the intensity of migration exchanges, natural or institutional genesis of connectivity, symmetry or asymmetry of migration flows, forms of connectivity, and sustainability of migration connections. To assess the sustainability of interregional migration connections, first, the study compares the values of migration intensity (rate) coefficients over several years, and second, it uses data from the 2020–2021 All-Russian Population Census regarding in which regions the natives of certain territories of Asian Russia live.
The article discusses the hypothesis that the location of Moscow Metro stations influences the variability of passenger traffic over time. This assumption arose because it was established that, due to the peculiarities of the spatial structure of the city, the passenger flow in central Moscow is influenced by a greater number of factors than at stations on the outskirts of the city, as a result of which, passenger flow at stations in the city center should be more uneven in terms of time dynamics. The study uses topological and statistical methods to confirm this hypothesis. The spatial position of each station is calculated using the closeness centrality index, and two parameters are selected for analysis: the variability of passenger traffic over time (volatility), calculated using the variation coefficient, and the relative change in passenger traffic volumes between the beginning and end of the study period. The results showed that stations with the highest volatility are randomly distributed, but stations with medium and low volatility form more compact spatial groups along the center–periphery gradient. The relative change in passenger traffic over the study period is more determined by the location of the stations: most stations in the central part of the urban agglomeration core demonstrate a decrease in passenger traffic, while on the outskirts, a slowdown in the rate of decline or even growth is observed. It is concluded that the spatial location of stations is an important factor to consider when forecasting passenger traffic, as stations located in the city center are influenced by more factors than stations on the outskirts, which ultimately affects volatility.
The article is based on field research conducted in Krasnodar Krai and Kaliningrad and Orenburg oblasts in 2022–2024. Its aim is to understand the extent to which narratives about the uniqueness of “one’s own land” are capable of producing a separate historical and cultural space and leading to fragmentation of a country’s territory, held together by a settlement system, a common language, and a shared past. The concept of narrative identity is used as a theoretical framework for the analysis, emphasizing the importance of culture with its extensive repertoire of texts, images, and symbols for personal and collective self-identification. The main sources of information were exhibitions at regional and municipal museums, conversations with their directors and tour guides, and interviews with representatives of local administrations, experts, and journalists. In conducting a comparative analysis of narratives, the authors limited themselves to the three most representative examples in each region. A detailed analysis of tales about “one’s own land” made it possible to highlight the general principles of structuring and presenting information, as well as to identify narrative plots that perform integrating functions. The authors conclude that regional legends have a retroactive rather than proactive nature, and are oriented toward restoring lost order and continuity and linking local historical memory with the country’s historical time. Reconstruction of a positive connection between the past, present, and future significantly limits the disintegrating tendencies inherent in the idea of “one’s own land” and the narratives of regional cultural distinctiveness, ensuring the cultural unity of the Russian space.
The article assesses the wind energy potential for five federal subjects of the Far Eastern Federal District of the Russian Federation: Amur Oblast, the Jewish Autonomous Oblast, Khabarovsk Krai, Primorsky Krai, and Sakhalin Oblast. The potential was assessed with a focus on the possible production of green hydrogen by wind-farm-generated electricity. In calculating the desired potential, hierarchy analysis was used, coupled with fuzzy and Boolean logic. For the calculations, a list of physico–geographical, economic–geographical, and restrictive criteria necessary for a comprehensive assessment of the potential was formed. Based on assessments by experts in this field, a pairwise matrix of criteria comparison was formed, which was used to obtain the criteria themselves. Subsequently, the wind energy potential was calculated for each point within the boundaries of the studied subjects using the weighted linear combination method. Calculations employed the previously obtained weights of the criteria and their relative values, calculated with fuzzy logic tools. Additionally, taking into account low winter temperatures, a corresponding correction was introduced. Based on the data obtained, a statistical assessment was made for the study area and appropriate recommendations were developed.
Former capitals are considered worldwide and within a fragment limited to 1800–2022 and Western Eurasia. For the latter, a typology is carried out by the time of losing the status of a capital, groups of its causes (external capture, endogenic collapse, relatively peaceful surrender and transfer within the state by its own will), the duration of the capital’s experience, closeness in size to the then and modern country where the ex-capital is located, and its stability (ephemeral and major, or long-term capitals). The oldest ones gravitate towards the belt of early states in the Old World, while the younger tend to be located in Europe, North America, and Africa. In recent centuries, these capitals have been concentrated in Germany and Italy, the states of later centralization, as well as in the areas of sociopolitical turbulence of Ukraine and Russia, where there are many ephemeral capitals. In Germany and Italy, they were often surrendered to the center of the uniting country, while the scenarios of capture and relocation were more common in Eastern Europe. Judging from the selected fragment, there are more significant ex-capitals than ordinary and small ones, including rural. The loss of capital status is not always caused by a nation-scale crisis, but by its rise and success, which is reflected in the new capital. The postcapital fate, location, role, and image of the former capital vary greatly, even to the point of polar cases, which are defined in the article as great and small. Examples of these are provided among the major and ephemeral ex-capitals. Sometimes they disappear, erased by external and internal crises.
With the growing urgency of waste disposal and reduction of anthropogenic emissions in the energy sector, the issue of production and consumption of biofuels is becoming increasingly pressing. Solid biofuels produced from wood waste can locally replace traditional fuels (coal or fuel oil). In contrast, more technologically advanced biofuels, such as biogas, bioethanol, etc., cannot yet compete with traditional hydrocarbon-based alternatives in Russia due to higher production costs and infrastructure limitations. The article presents an overview of the biofuel market in Russia with its main trends and prospects for use, and an analysis of the dynamics of biofuel production and consumption volumes. A comparative assessment of the economic efficiency of fuel pellets, wood chips and brown coal in small and medium-capacity boiler houses is given. It was concluded that the use of fuel chips is justified only in the immediate vicinity of timber processing plants, and fuel pellets: only in certain areas, such as isolated or protected areas. Three factors influencing the Russian biofuel market are considered: cost, environmental, and political. All of these are interrelated: modern environmental challenges stimulate political measures aimed at increasing domestic consumption and exports of Russian biofuels. The main incentive measure is subsidizing the modernization and conversion of boiler houses from coal and fuel oil to biofuel.
The article assesses the impact of the policy of Russia’s “Pivot to the East” on the development of Siberia and the Far East. Regional policy measures designed to create preferential economic regimes and attract people and investments to the eastern regions are described. It is shown that preferential conditions were created for the Far East, Siberia was on the periphery of the “eastern regional policy.” The article analyzes the indicators of economic growth and structural changes in the eastern regions and the impact of sanctions on them. It is shown that the development of transport and logistics infrastructure in the eastern regions has become an important factor ensuring the reorientation of Russia’s foreign economic relations to friendly countries. The sources and structure of investment in fixed capital are considered. It is noted that the high share of investment in infrastructure and mining does not ensure high rates of GRP growth in the eastern regions even with high rates of investment growth. The regional policy measures taken have not led to fundamental changes in the social sphere of the eastern regions. Population outflow persists, Siberia and the Far East lag behind the national average in terms of real incomes and wages, and unemployment remains higher. The qualitative characteristics of growth have not improved: the share of mineral extraction in the GRP structure has increased, and the share of high-tech and knowledge-intensive industries has decreased. The implementation of the “Pivot to the East” policy ensured the attraction of significant amounts of investment to the eastern regions, primarily to the Far East, and became an important factor in Russia’s adaptation to sanctions, but the expected breakthrough in the development of the eastern regions did not occur. Structural and social problems persist in the eastern regions, the solution of which in modern conditions through massive attraction of external resources to the eastern regions is unlikely.
The article analyzes the factors that contributed to the economic resilience demonstrated by Russian regions during the periods of crises in 2009, 2015, and 2020. The objective of the present study is to identify the universal factors that affect the resilience of regional economies to crises. This is of significant importance for the development of effective regional development strategies. The primary hypothesis assumes that structural features of the economy, including diversification and sectoral specialization, play a key role in ensuring resilience. The impact of other factors that have been examined in this study is contingent upon the nature of the given crisis. In order to test the hypotheses, econometric analysis tools were utilized with data from Russian Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat) and Unified Interdepartmental Information and Statistical System (EMISS). The findings indicated that the sectoral composition exerts a substantial influence on economic resilience. The impact of specialization in the extractive industries is contingent upon the nature of the prevailing crisis, while the openness of the regional economy serves to augment its vulnerability to crisis. The relatively high proportion of agriculture and the public sector in the economy has a stabilizing effect on the state of regional economies. The findings of this study indicate that economic diversification does not demonstrate a statistically significant relationship with resilience. However, it is hypothesized that it can have a mitigating effect on economic dynamics during a crisis. While the findings of the analysis indicate the presence of factors most frequently associated with the magnitude of the downturn in regional economies, it was not possible to identify statistically significant universal factors of resilience. The results are applicable to the development of anticrisis policies and regional development strategies. The conclusions emphasize the need to support diversification and innovation to enhance the adaptive resilience of regions, as well as the development of interregional ties and the institutional environment.
The article performs a macroeconomic and territorial analysis of the budgetary efficiency of the tax maneuver in the IT sector, which came into force at the beginning of 2021, in terms of reducing the profit tax for IT companies. After the first four years of the tax break regime, it is possible to conduct some general assessments of the economic impact of the implementation of such reforms, as well as to examine their territorial manifestation. The study proposes a methodological approach to an indicative assessment of the economic budgetary effectiveness of the tax maneuver, based on an analysis of statistical data from Russian IT companies provided by the SPARK-Interfax system, namely, the dynamics of the volume of income tax paid by Russian IT companies in 2021–2022 and its relationship with the dynamics of revenue and net profit. These parameters were also considered for the electronics industry, which cooperates with the IT sector, and whose enterprises were included in the tax incentive regime somewhat later, in July 2022. The study analyzed the territorial implementation of the tax maneuver and identified the regions whose IT enterprises made the most extensive use of the tax incentives provided by the state. The assessments were correlated with the dynamics of the territorial development of the IT sector, on the basis of which the relationships between the territorial organization of the economic potential of the IT sector and the possible influence of the tax incentive regime on its spatial transformations were identified. Based on the results obtained, conclusions and recommendations were drawn for the development and implementation of state regional policy aimed at ensuring the balanced territorial development of the Russian IT sector.
The article is devoted to the intra-agglomeration features of the demographic development of the Stavropol urban agglomeration (Stavropol Krai, Russia). The object of study is the population of the Stavropol urban agglomeration. The empirical basis was based on official statistics of the current population census developed by Federal State Statistics Service of Russia (Rosstat) for the North Caucasian Federal District and data from the All-Union (1989) and All-Russian (2002, 2010, 2021) population censuses. Data obtained by processing the databases of online services for posting real estate ads, TsIAN and Avito, which the authors define as big data, were also used. Geoinformation technologies were used to implement the analytical part of the study. The materials are presented in the form of tables and maps reflecting the demographic aspects of the study and the dynamics of urban development in Stavropol and Mikhailovsk. Four zones have formed within the Stavropol urban agglomeration, within which the population dynamics, scale of housing construction, and cost of residential premises change from the center to the periphery. It was found that the rate of development of territories correlates with the rate of population growth. The urban agglomeration’s populated areas are becoming a preferred settlement zone for Russians, Armenians, Roma, North Caucasians, and other peoples. In Stavropol—the urban agglomeration core—the ethnic structure of the population is changing, including due to active educational migrations. These processes also influence the age structure of the population; in particular, the youngest residents of the urban agglomeration live in the zone of intensive population growth (Stavropol and its suburbs), while in the zone of intensive population decline the average age of residents is higher.
The article examines the stability of the institutional model for the development of an innovative economy in mesoeconomic systems, known as the Triple Helix Model, from the perspective of the wave turbulence theory. The possibility of using the phenomenon of turbulence to describe the processes occurring in innovation markets is substantiated. The evidence base is based on regional statistics on the development of the innovative economy in federal subjects of Russia. Methods of multivariate statistical analysis (classification, factor analysis), time series analysis (spectral analysis), and cognitive modeling are used to display and simulate system interactions in regional mesoeconomic systems. The novelty of the study is the quantitative substantiation that the presence of traditional industrial sectors in the federal subjects interested in using innovations is of significant importance for innovative development. The innovative impulse that arises in the economies of such regional systems can lead to turbulent processes that generate synergistic effects that form a sustainable trajectory of innovative development.
A fundamental restructuring of the system of geopolitical relations always leads to border regions facing not only the advantages of location, but also significant limitations. This proves that the borderland is a space of constant adaptation to restrictions at different levels. In conditions where the development of border territories ceases to be inertial in nature due to the fundamental restructuring of the external circuit of connections, which affects the production potential, transport infrastructure of the regions and the practices of the population, the question of the special functions of the borderland in the territorial socioeconomic system of the country becomes relevant. Based on the experience of research using the functional approach in geography, this article attempts to conceptualize ideas about the functions of border regions and their changes in the context of geopolitical and socioeconomic shifts. The study uses materials from field studies conducted in 2022–2025 in Smolensk, Pskov, and Murmansk oblasts, the Republic of Karelia, and Primorsky Krai. The study substantiates the allocation of administrative-communication, transit, buffer, and geopolitical functions of the borderland. Identifying the significant function of borderlands in a given spatial, geopolitical, and socioeconomic context can help connect the country’s strategic regional policy agenda with real mechanisms for improving quality of life.
The article examines the place of urban geography in the scientific legacy of the Soviet geographer V.V. Pokshishevsky (1905–1984) and the main directions of urban studies that interested him for more than half a century, from the late 1920s to the 1980s. The dynamics of publications on urban topics, the evolution of the scientist’s approaches and views on the city and, subsequently, on urbanization processes are shown. Among the main directions of urban research, Pokshishevsky examines in more detail the early (pre-WWII) period of his interest in cities, even before the emergence of urban geography as a separate area of Soviet science. During this period, the author worked in various urban planning research organizations in the USSR and interacted with architects, so his publications were devoted to issues of urban planning and their architectural appearance. Further, the authors dwell on Pokshishevsky’s studies on individual cities and consider his contribution to the development of urban geography as an independent direction of Soviet economic geography. Pokshishevsky prepared these studies already during his period of active work in geography (late 1940s–1980s), touching upon both theoretical, methodological, and applied aspects of the emerging geography of cities, and regularly analyzed research conducted by other scientists (reviews of studies by other authors, reviews of monographs and dissertations on cities, etc.). Attention is drawn to his research on the interaction of the city with its environment (including the development of satellite cities), the role of cities in forming the supporting settlement framework, with the process of urbanization, the development of cities and urban settlement systems in foreign countries (including in connection with ethnic problems in individual countries). Pokshishevsky’s important contribution to urban research includes publications on popularizing knowledge about the cities of the Soviet Union. Such articles were published both in popular science and encyclopedic editions, as well as in central newspapers and magazines. Pokshishevsky’s books and numerous articles on urban topics not only reflect the development of the geographical study of cities in Soviet geography but are also highly sought after decades later.
The article examines the historical and geographical features, changes in functions, and location of food markets in Moscow. Despite significant changes in the economy and the perception of markets by city residents, Moscow’s markets continue to play an important role in the city’s infrastructure and retain their cultural and historical value, reflecting the capital’s centuries-old traditions as a trading city. The developed methodology for assessing markets includes not only reliance on regulatory documents and historical and geographical methods, but also an expanded empirical approach: field observations and wide application of geoinformation analysis. This made it possible not only to record the distribution of markets across the city, but also to understand what functions they perform in practice. From an urban development perspective, markets have the potential to act as centres of attraction both within districts and at the city level. This is confirmed by data on transport accessibility and interdistrict market coverage, identified during GIS analysis and the introduced centrality rating. As a result of the analysis of the spatial dynamics of the Moscow trade and market system, a tendency of gradual shift of markets from central territories to the periphery was revealed. This is due to both increased competition from retailers and government policies on urban redevelopment. At the same time, the formation of new types of market spaces in the format of public-business clusters is observed. The examples of the Danilovsky and Cheryomushkinsky markets clearly demonstrate how architectural and functional renovation can restore the market’s status as a core public space for both the area where it is located and the city as a whole.
The main objective of the article is to analyze the Unified List of Core Settlements as one of the main innovations and main mechanisms for implementing the Strategy for Spatial Development of the Russian Federation for the Period up to 2030 with a Forecast up to 2036. It is shown that the Unified List of Core Settlements is largely based on the existing municipal structure of the country: in most federal subjects, not only the principle of “one urban okrug/municipal okrug or district—one core settlement” has been implemented, but also the administrative centers of municipalities have been selected as core settlements, which entails the need to organize access to social services in core settlements for residents of adjacent territories within the boundaries of municipalities. At the same time, regions have been identified that have deviated from the specified principle in the direction of both a decrease (11 federal subjects) and an increase (12 federal subjects) in the number of core settlements. It has also been shown that more than 87
The population dynamics of settlements are determined by many different factors, including, as research shows, the availability of educational and healthcare facilities (i.e., basic social infrastructure) close to home. One can assume a two-way relationship: a decrease in population entails a reduction in the number of assigned students in schools and healthcare institutions and, as a result, the optimization of social infrastructure within walking distance; and, conversely, the closure of basic social infrastructure institutions causes an outflow of population from such settlements. This article assesses the population’s provision of basic education and healthcare services based on a 10
