Rights of indigenous peoples of the Russian Arctic

Abstract

The paper focuses on the relevant issue of legislative regulation of the rights of indigenous peoples of the Russian Arctic. The lands of the Arctic region have long been considered uninhabitable, and yet not for one century have they been explored and reclaimed by men. According to historical records, the Russian navigators sailed through the Arctic Ocean as early as the 11th century, and in the first half of the 16th century, a map of the Arctic Ocean seafloor was based on the drawings of Dmitry Gerasimov. By 16-17th centuries, the economic capacity of the Arctic territories was recognized both in Russia and in Western Europe. Some Arctic territories were featured in the treaties between the Muscovite state and the countries of Western Europe, which can be illustrated by the Treaty of Teusina signed with Sweden in 1595. However, the Government of the Russian Empire had long considered the development of the North as necessary, but not a top priority objective. In late 19th and early 20th century, the wealth of the Russian North was on the agenda again in the context of the economic boom and military growth of the leading European powers. In the USSR, the reclamation of the Arctic was limited to the development of natural resources, while the prospects of economic and industrial growth of the North as well as the associated legal regulations were also in prospect. Currently, the Arctic is a primary interest zone for Russia, the main acute issues remaining the reclamation and use of natural resources and legislative regulations of the indigenous peoples’ rights.