The influence of the border position of the Russian-Ukrainian border regions on their regional development

Abstract

Subject. The article considers problems of international trade and geopolitical rivalry in the modern world. Objectives. The purpose is to assess the economic development of regions of the Russian Federation bordering Ukraine. Methods. The study employs methods of synthesis, analysis, and generalization. Results. I made calculations and interpreted various indicators of economic development of border regions of the Russian Federation, having a common border with Ukraine, calculated the Grubel-Lloyd index for major commodity groups for a number of border areas. The paper shows that after the political crisis of 2014, there was a reorientation of foreign economic relations in most Russian regions bordering Ukraine, and the barrier function of the border began to dominate over the contact one. Conclusions. To increase the effectiveness of the participation of border regions in foreign trade of the Russian Federation, it is crucial to apply a differentiated approach to regional policy implementation.