Legislative Elections, Arctic Goals of the Security Council, and Green Projects

Today, we take a look at this week’s top stories on the Russian Arctic.

Legislative elections in Russia: who won the northerners’ hearts and minds?

The national election to the State Duma (Russian Parliament) was held from 17 to 19 September 2021. The Central Election Commission, a national election oversight body, has reportedly completed the vote count. According to the data disseminated by the Commission, the following parties got the most votes cast by those who live in the Russian Arctic. Two major parties, the ruling United Russia and the opposition Communists topped the vote in the Arctic regions, with United Russia claiming victory in Arkhangelsk Oblast, the Republic of Karelia, the Komi Republic, Krasnoyarsk Kray, the Chukotka Autonomous District and the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District, and the Communist Party getting most votes in the Nenets Autonomous District and the Yakut Republic. Read more…

Digitization and infrastructure: key Arctic goals of the Security Council

The Interagency Commission for the Arctic under the Security Council of Russia gathered this week to discuss digital development and construction of infrastructure in the Russian Arctic. The session was chaired by the Security Council’s Deputy Chairperson Dmitri Medvedev. Promoting digitization and ensuring better connectivity is crucial for sustainable development in high latitudes. Introducing digital solutions will help reduce considerable transaction expenses and find new avenues for growth in the Russian Arctic. However, building infrastructure in the High North is still a challenging task -- mainly for the reason that key suppliers of construction materials are located thousands of miles from the areas concerned. To address the issue, the government intends to foster local production of construction materials in Russia’s northern regions. This view is in line with the position voiced by President Putin, who called for increasing the construction material production in the Russian Far East.Read more…

The Government okayed green projects eligibility criteria

The Russian Government passed a decree providing for specific parameters to be met by projects to receive funding through green bonds and/or green loans. The document is expected to play a role in launching a comprehensive green funding mechanism in the near future -- a matter of utmost importance to the Russian Arctic.

In Russia, such projects are classed as either green or adaptive ones depending on whether or not they meet the international requirements in terms of climate and sustainable development. Green projects can be launched in such sectors as waste management, energy, construction, industry, transport, water supply, agriculture, and biodiversity and conservation, while adaptive ones are implementable in infrastructure, energy, industry, transport and agricultural sectors. Read more…