Eastern Border Research Articles

РОЛЬ СТРАТЕГІЧНИХ КОМУНІКАЦІЙ У ФОРМУВАННІ ВЗАЄМОДІЇ УКРАЇНА-НАТО

The illegal and groundless aggression of the Russian Federation has formed new challenges and tasks in the field of strategic communications of NATO and Ukraine. The implementation of Ukraine’s strategic goal, which is fixed in the Constitution of Ukraine — membership in the Alliance — requires solving a number of communication tasks. And although NATO declares its commitment to the open door policy towards Kyiv, the difficult political situation in the United States related to the presidential election campaign , the slow European bureaucracy and internal processes in the EU, as well as concerns of the West about the use of nuclear weapons by the Russian Federation, hinder the transformation of the Alliance and harm the formation of effective interaction between Ukraine and NATO. As a result, communication between Kyiv and Brussels is declarative. In the absence of a political decision of NATO member states to determine a specific date for Ukraine’s accession to the Alliance, Kyiv is looking for new security formats that would allow to resist Russian full-fledged armed aggression. Currently, the preparation of bilateral and multilateral formats of cooperation with NATO member states in terms of security solutions has been intensified. Such formats are not an alternative to NATO membership. The Russian-Ukrainian war influenced the work and use of strategic communication by the North Atlantic Alliance in terms of the formation of interaction with Ukraine. The Alliance seeks to avoid any actions that would lead to an escalation of the situation on the eastern border of the bloc with the Russian Federation. In fact, the Alliance has delegated the function of communication with Ukraine to individual member states.

Н. Н. Муравьёв и имперские подходы к управлению восточными окраинами России

Change in the middle of the 19th century. The foreign policy and foreign economic situation on the eastern borders of Russia set the government the task of consolidating the Far Eastern possessions within the empire. The fulfillment of this mission was entrusted to the young ambitious Governor-General N. N. Muravyov (later Count of Amursky). Over the course of ten years, a talented administrator ensured not only the return of the right bank of the Amur River to Russia, but also the development of a system management, ensuring a strong connection between this remote region and Russia.

Necessary Encounters: Revisiting Philip Roth's Central-European Legacy

Abstract: This article focuses primarily on Philip Roth's 1976-1990 interviews with Central-European writers, collected in his 2001 collection Shop Talk: A Writer and His Colleagues and Their Work . Current developments at the Eastern borders of Europe in the aftermath of Russia's invasion of the Ukraine trigger my reexamination of this part of Roth's nonfiction and inform my claim that in Shop Talk , as in his editorship of Penguin's "Writers from the Other Europe" series (1974-89), Roth has contributed to opening the American mind to aspects of "the other Europe" that might have otherwise remained unexplored. The selection of passages from Roth's work as critic and interlocutor is meant to illustrate sociohistorical intricacies of a cultural space that still sparks tension, confusion, and conflict. My aim is to establish relevant connections and raise awareness of the presentness of issues that continue to frame and shape contemporary realities and debates.

Резервы вишеградского сотрудничества

The article attempts to analyze the limits of stability of a unique regional formation – the Visegrad group that was founded a third of a century ago on the ruins of the socialist camp. Over the past two years, the Visegrad Quartet has been subjected to perhaps the most serious tests in the entire history of its existence, related to the divergence in approaches to the military conflict in Ukraine. The author notes that the longer the conflict lasts, the tougher the positions of Kiev’s supporters and opponents become. The population of Central European countries gets tired of the war. The regime of sanctions against Russia and the influx of refugees from Ukraine as well as from Russia and Belarus begin to affect the results of national elections in central European countries, and hence brings changes in the position of countries towards Moscow, Kiev and Brussels. For the first time, countries are facing the problem of such multifaceted pressure literally in all spheres of life, including the economy and the social sphere, which are acutely affected by the consequences of the war. Having relatively successfully overcome the global economic crisis together, turned away the migration flow from the South, stood up in the fight against COVID?19, and survived “attacks” from Brussels, the Visegrad Union now seems to have faced an existential problem of a geopolitical nature. Nevertheless, according to the author, it is too early to write an obituary on the Visegrad group. It still has certain reserves, hidden both in its genesis and structural features, which have no parallel among not only European but also world regional units. The main achievement of the Visegrad Four’s three decades of operation may be the hard-won and subsequently mastered “art of compromise”. No matter how deep the differences in the views and positions of the countries may be, the understanding of the necessity to find a compromise for the sake of preserving the unity of the region always prevails. In particular, the events of the last two years since February 2022, marked by a military conflict on the eastern border of the Quartet, have proved this statement.

The importance of border surveillance and border traffic control at the eastern border of the Republic of Poland to the cross-border security of the European Union

The main non-military criterion of border surveillance is border control; due to the geopolitical situation in Ukraine, preceded by the COVID-19 pandemic, the issue of border surveillance with regard to the eastern border of the Republic of Poland, also performing the function of one of the longest sections of the European Union’s external land border, has become extremely important. Therefore, the article aims to point to the importance of border surveillance and border traffic control at the eastern border of the Republic of Poland to the cross-border security of the EU. To achieve this objective, it presents the main characteristics of border control and cross-border security at the external borders of the EU, describes the ‘Polish’ section of the EU’s external land border, indicates the efficiency of control measures taken and identifies the threats and challenges to the protection and surveillance of border traffic. The article is theoretical and partly comparatively analytical in nature. It relies on traditional research methods: deductive reasoning and comparative analysis.

Irregular Migration in Poland and the Importance of Readmission Agreements in Theory and Practice

Poland is a Member State of the European Union and a part of the Schengen area, which ensures free movement without controls at its internal borders while strengthening the security of its external borders. It plays a special role here, as its eastern border is simultaneously its external border. This importance has been further increased by recent events in the eastern part of Europe, particularly through the smuggling of migrants and refugees into the European Union from, inter alia, Iraq, Afghanistan, and other countries in the Middle East and Africa via the Belarusian-Lithuanian, Belarusian-Polish, and Belarusian-Latvian borders in 2021, and because of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine on 24 February 2022 resulting in millions of people fleeing war and seeking protection, particularly in the eastern part of the European Union. The increased migratory movement along the eastern borders of the Republic of Poland observed in 2021, was a direct cause of the changes introduced in Polish legislation on foreigners. The possibility of returning migrants apprehended immediately after crossing the border in violation of the law was introduced. In such cases, the competent commanding officer of the Border Guard could draw up a report on crossing the border and issue an order to leave Poland. The appeal against this order may be presented to the Commander-in-Chief of the Border Guard, which, however, does not suspend it. The aim of these provisions was to protect the border from a mass influx of irregular migrants. However, it is questionable whether they simultaneously ensure the fundamental human right to be treated with dignity.

THE EASTERN AND SOUTHERN BORDERS OF UKRAINE FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE ZAPOROZIAN COSSACKS OF THE NEW ZAPORIZHIAN HOST (SICH)

This article aims to explore the perceptions of Zaporizhian Cossacks about the southern and the eastern Ukrainians borders in the times of the last Zaporizhian Sich. The studies have shown that Zaporizhian chief leaders of that time inherited Zaporizhian Cossacks’ beliefs and opinions that were recorded in reference sources as far back as in the last decade of the 17th century. Their opinions were also significantly re-shaped with the «symbolic geography», of the Hetmanate top leaders. Genetically, the set of Zaporizhian Cossacks’ beliefs and opinions has its roots in «mental maps» of the traditional Ukrainian early modern elite, i.e. princes and nobility (shlyakhta). It has been proven that Zaporizhian leaders identified the southern and the eastern borders of the Domain of the Lower Zaporizhian Host (Viysko Zaporizke Nyzove) with the respective limits of the Ukrainian territorial space. It has been found out that the Cossacks consistently considered the coast of the Black sea between the Dnipro estuary and the city of Bilgorod as the optimal limit in the south, and the river Don and the northern cost of the Azov sea as the optimal limit in the east. Expansion to Kuban observed from the years 1730 at least resulted in inclusion of the south-eastern coast of the Azov sea up to and including Yeysk Spit into the ‘own’ territorial space. The approaches of Zaporizhian leaders as to justification of their territorial claims legitimacy have been observed. It has been shown that Zaporizhzia Cossacks used the very same historical and legal proof-points that had been used by the Hetmanate top leaders. The pattern of lobbying the territorial interests by the Cossacks in relationships with the St. Petersburg and the Don Cossack Host has been checked. Peculiarities of assimilation of the territories by Zaporizhian Cossacks in the south and in the east have been examined.

Социально-экономическое развитие горного региона России: проблемы и перспективы

The paper presents the results of studying the main challenges and searching for opportunities to ensure dynamic social and economic development of the Republic of Tyva, a mountainous depressive subject of the Russian Federation, located near the eastern border of the country. Based on analysis and synthesis of indicators from various periods of the region's development, irregularity (instability) of its dynamics is demonstrated. The paper reveals the main reasons for lagging behind and the development factors. The need for a more detailed research into the specific features of this region is emphasized with due account of these differences in the development of the state regulatory measures in relation to similar territories of the country. The authors make the following pilot proposals to develop preferential regimes within the territory of this mountainous and problematic subject of the country: (1) to achieve the level of average per capita monetary income of residents in the amount of 40 thousand rubles (the average Russian level), it is necessary to increase the GRP of the region at least to 110-150 billion rubles, (2) to ensure the growth of average per capita monetary income of the residents of this region to reach 800 USD per month (the average European level), it is necessary to increase the gross regional product to 350.0 billion rubles. Such indicators can ensure dynamic social and economic development of the Republic of Tyva.

‘Hybrid war’, military humanitarianism, and epistemic friction. Framing illegalised migration on the Polish-Belarusian border

ABSTRACT This article aims to contribute to the understanding of the phenomenon of the ‘humanitarian border’ in its specific local context of Polish nationalism and the use of patriotic sentiments to justify violence at the border. The intensification of asylum-seeker migration from Asia and Africa on the EU's eastern border, triggered by the Lukashenka regime since the summer of 2021, was quickly dubbed as ‘hybrid war’, enabling the Polish government to take decisive military action against border crossers. The justification for this violence became both the patriotic duty, expressed in national idioms, and the discursively produced humanitarian concern for refugees whose lives and health were threatened precisely by the harshness of border controls. The labelling of repression and violence as the heroism and care of the Polish uniformed services, present both in the discursive framework of the description of the ‘crisis’ by the government media and in the cooperation of border guards with humanitarian actors, has become a specific form of ‘epistemic borderwork’. The grassroots solidarity movement that opposes these hegemonic discourses seeks to create counter-narratives highlighting the state's illegal actions and the refugees’ right to freedom of movement.

ACTIVITIES OF TRADING FIRMS OF VOLYN VOIVODSHIP ON THE POLISH-SOVIET BORDER IN THE 1920s

Abstract
 The purpose of the article is to analyze the activities of Polish trading firms of the Volyn Voivodeship on the eastern border of the Second Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the 1920s.
 The scientific novelty consists in the introduction into circulation of a significant number of hitherto unknown scientific sources regarding the activities of trading firms on the Polish-Soviet border in the specified period.
 Methodology. When writing the article, the basic principles of historical knowledge were used: historicism, scientificity, objectivity. Specific search tasks of the research were solved by problem-chronological means (optimal involvement of the thematic literature and source base); historical-comparative (analysis of various sources and formation of relevant research provisions and conclusions); critical analysis (critical attitude to various sources) methods.
 Conclusions. The first half of the 1920s was a time of intensification of contraband trade on the Volyn section of the Polish-Soviet border, which in turn led to the emergence of a number of trading firms focused on foreign buyers. Their activities were constantly in the field of view of representatives of the Polish state authorities, police bodies, and border guard units. During the first half of the 1920s, the Polish state was looking for an optimal model of organizing the protection of the eastern border of the state. With the transfer of functions for the protection of the Polish-Soviet border to units of the Border Guard Corps, the strengthening of border protection on the Soviet side, the collapse of the NEP led to the gradual collapse of the activities of companies and smugglers. In the early 1930s, most of the firms ceased their activities, and their owners reoriented themselves to trade on the western border of the Second Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

Changes in the Nature of Innovation Processes and International Competitiveness of the Region After the Covid-19 Crisis: The Case of Podlaskie Voivodeship

Abstract Technological structure arises as a consequence of innovation processes, encompassing R&D activities, implementations, as well as diffusion. Innovation processes influence technological competitiveness by linking changes in market shares at home and abroad with their technological potential. Increased productivity resulting from higher innovativeness combined with increased technological investments result in changes in relative unit operating costs and higher demand for more technologically advanced products, thus determining the dynamics of economic development. The aim of this study is to analyse the course of determinants of innovation processes and the level of international competitiveness of regions after the COVID-19 crisis, including especially Podlaskie Voivodeship. Regions are classified into three types of exposure (low, medium, high) and crossed with three degrees of risk sensitivity for the regional economy. Podlaskie Voivodeship has medium exposure and lower sensitivity to pandemic crises. Regions with relatively high sensitivity and exposure to COVID-19 lockdowns were motivated to make greater changes in business processes. Podlaskie Voivodeship relies highly on foreign trade, which is why the COVID-19 crisis, the war in Ukraine and limited contacts with Poland’s eastern border have negatively affected the region’s innovation. The analysis shows that the establishment of competitive advantages based on the effects of COVID-19 crises should be expanded by regions with medium or high sensitivity to lockdowns.

The securitization of immigration in Poland. Social and political contexts

Currently, immigration issues occupy an important place in the debate on the future of Europe. One of the central themes of this debate is the issue of security. In spite of the functioning of supranational integration structures, individual states still remain a fundamental factor in shaping migration. In many cases, the issue of immigration is subjected to the process of securitization, framing immigration as a threat. It is the speech act that is important in this respect, being a kind of securitizing tool. Since 2015, one can notice elements indicating that the process of securitization of immigration has been present in Poland, too, which, among other things, is a consequence of the change of the ruling party, the immigration crisis that has taken place in Europe, and the migration situation on Poland’s eastern border. The article presents the factors that influence the process of immigration securitization. Additionally, it includes numerous statements from Polish politicians securitizing the problem of immigrants as well as the results of social surveys on attitudes towards immigration. The analysis of the collected material leads to the conclusion that the securitisation of immigration in Poland is not a completed process and that this process concerns a geographically defined group of immigrants.

The Same Song, Different Melodies —A Comparative Analysis of TV Coverage of the Crisis on the Polish-Belarusian Border

Abstract “The Song” is about the crisis on the Polish-Belarusian border, which began in the second half of 2021 and has been going on to this day. It is related to the unexpected appearance of newcomers from the Middle East and Africa (mainly Muslims) on the border. They tried (and are still trying) to cross the Polish border on their way to the West or to stay in Poland. There were thousands of them. Their appearance on the eastern border has triggered a crisis that we have known so far only from previous media reports on the southern border of the European Union. Due to the introduction of a state of emergency by the Polish authorities, it was also possible to follow their fate only through the media. However, these messages did not allow the recipient to obtain an integrated picture of the situation. Rather, they created quite contradictory narratives, different “melodies” about the crisis. In the text, I present the messages of two antagonistic television stations, i.e. TVP and TVN. On their example, I outline the rather schizophrenic social reality in which Polish citizens currently find themselves, its interpretations and proposals for overcoming the impasse. David Altheide’s Ethnographic Content Analysis is used as a theoretical framework for the analysis. It emphasizes the interaction of the researcher with the collected research material, thus classifying such analysis as fieldwork. At that time, it was the only opportunity for a fieldwork.

Распространение субаквальной мерзлоты в море Лаптевых по данным сейсморазведки методом преломленных волн

For the first time, for an area of 454 thousand km2 of the Laptev Sea, processing and comprehensive analysis of a large volume of records of the first arrivals of refracted waves of common shot gathers was carried out along 113 CDP seismic lines of JSC MAGE with a total length of about 20.7 thousand km. Fundamentally new information was obtained on the state of the subsea cryolithozone, and the boundary between the predominant distribution of frozen (Southern zone) and thawed (Northern zone) ground was identified. It was substantiated that a number of identified through taliks in the Southern zone have an endogenous genesis and are associated with large disjunctive displacements. High seismic activity in the central part of the Laptev Sea improves faults permeability, which contributes to the activation of subvertical migration of deep fluid flows and enhances the role of the endogenous factor in the degradation of permafrost (frozen ground) and gas hydrates. A large thawed zone was discovered in the North Western area of JSC MAGE activities, approaching close to the coast of Taimyr. A comparison of the results obtained with the data of the stratigraphic well DL-1, drilled in 2022 by FSBI VSEGEI and JSC Rosgeologia near the eastern border of the Laptev Sea, showed their complete correspondence, clearly indicating completed degradation of subsea permafrost in a significant part of the seas of Eastern Siberia.

Framing Entangled Borders in the Baltic States

ABSTRACT The eastern Baltic borders have become more prominent in public debates following the instrumentalized migration crisis orchestrated by Belarus in 2021. This article explores and assesses the discourses related to borders and border barriers emerging in the Baltic states in reaction to the “crisis”. Using a discourse analysis framework, the work engages with the discursive framing concerned with how to define and consolidate the border and the use of border barriers, as interpreted through media frames. The article situates the framing of borders and border barriers within geopolitical identities and the notion of entangled borders in the EU, referring to the overlapping of nation-state border regimes and the EU external border regime that occurs along the EU’s borderlands. The article finds that media frames relate to three primary discourses: increasing securitization, the Baltic states’ positionality within the EU, and the changing geopolitical space. Discourses on borders and border barriers reveal that different types of borders often entangle in each other, which, through this entanglement, contributes to how borders are constructed, conceived, and expressed.

ОТКЛИК ТЕМПЕРАТУРЫ ВОЗДУХА НА ПОВТОРЯЕМОСТЬ БЛОКИРОВАНИЯ В АТЛАНТИКО-ЕВРОАЗИАТСКОМ СЕКТОРЕ В ОСЕННЕ-ЗИМНИЙ ПЕРИОД

The changes in the response of air temperature to the variations in the instantaneous blocking frequency (IBF) (GHGS > 0) between the periods 1979-1999 and 2000-2020 are studied. Blocking patterns, which are the spatial distributions of the coefficients of correlation between the IBF and the 1000 hPa temperature field, are used as the main characteristic. The blocking frequency is calculated in ten longitudinal sectors in the eastern direction from the west of the North Atlantic region to the eastern borders of Siberia and the Pacific Ocean. It is found that blocking patterns moved northward over the Atlantic region (November, December, and February), the Ural region and Siberia (November, January, and February) in 2000-2020. In addition, they were characterized by more pronounced areas of negative correlations over Eurasia and North America as compared to 1979-1999. Along with the pronounced correlation pattern of the Atlantic region, the patterns of the Ural region and Western Siberia (U-WS) proved to be the most significant. It is assumed that the IBF variability over the U-WS sector is an important indicator of the development of the most significant blocking processes over Eurasia in terms of the temperature regime anomalies. The influence of U-WS blockings was the least noticeable in 2000-2020 for December and in 1979-1999 for January, when the response of the temperature field to the blocking changes was similar to the response of the negative phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation.

M.Yu. Lermontov and A.A. Velyaminov: History of Relations and Views on Caucasian Question

Based on the analysis of archival documents and literary texts, a comparative analysis is conducted of the similar ideas expressed by poet M.Yu. Lermontov and General A.A. Velyaminov regarding Russian-Caucasian relations. Their history of interaction is reconstructed through the identification of contemporary witnesses, analysis of the poet's letters, and determination of their shared circle of acquaintances. The hypothesis is put forward that they were acquainted before 1837, when Lermontov came under Velyaminov’s direct command. The influence of Velyaminov on Lermontov’s early works is demonstrated. Additionally, an overlooked essay by A.A. Velyaminov entitled “History of the Caucasus” is introduced into scholarly circulation, which provides a detailed chronicle of the Caucasus from prehistoric times to the present day. Through the study of Velyaminov’s publicistic works, a better understanding is gained of the origins and development of Lermontov’s Caucasian historiosophy in the context of messianic ideas prevalent in society during the 1830s due to Russia’s actions on its eastern borders. The shared belief of both Lermontov and Velyaminov in the peacemaking role of the Russian Empire is revealed. These newly discovered materials contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the formation of Lermontov’s historical thinking in regards to his perception of Russian-Caucasian relations.

New insights on Celtic migration in Hungary and Italy through the analysis of non-metric dental traits.

The Iron Age is characterized by an extended interweaving of movements by Celts in Europe. Several waves of Celts from Western and Central Europe migrated southeast and west from the core area of the La Téne culture (between Bourgogne and Bohemia). Through the analysis of non-metric dental traits, this work aims to understand the biological relationship among Celtic groups arrived in Italy and the Carpathian Basin, as well as between local populations and Celtic newcomers. A total of 10 non-metric dental traits were analyzed to evaluate biological affinities among Celts (Sopron-Krautacker and Pilismarót-Basaharc) and Scythians-related populations from Hungary (Tápiószele), Celts from continental Europe (Switzerland and Austria), two Iron Age Etruscan-Celtic sites from northern Italy (Monterenzio Vecchio and Monte Bibele), 13 Iron Age central-southern Italic necropolises, and the northern Italian Bronze Age necropolis of Scalvinetto. Strontium isotopes were measured on individuals from the necropolis of Monte Bibele to infer their local or non-local origin. Results highlight the existence of statistically significant differences between Celts and autochthonous Italian groups. Celtic groups from Hungary and Italy (i.e., non-local individuals of Monterenzio Vecchio and Monte Bibele) share a similar biological background, supporting the historical records mentioning a common origin for Celts migrated to the eastern and southern borders of today's Europe. The presence of a supposed Steppean ancestry both in Celts from Hungary and Celts from northern Italy corroborates the hypothesis of the existence of a westward migration of individuals and genes from the Steppe towards northern Italy during the Bronze and Iron Age, which contributed to the biological variability of pre-Celtic and later Celtic populations, respectively. Conversely, individuals from central-southern Italy show an autochthonous pre-Iron Age background. Lastly, this work supports the existence of Celtic migratory routes in northern Italy, as shown by biological and cultural admixture between Celts and Italics living together.

Factors That Influence the Life Satisfaction of Afghan Refugees Living in Eastern Turkey: The Role of Their Migration Causes

In this study, the impact of the reasons for leaving their country (such as social, economic, and political) of Afghan asylum seekers who illegally entered Turkey from the eastern border on their life satisfaction in the country of destination was analyzed. The sample comprised 500 individuals (54.8% women; 42.4% < 30 age) who came as refugees from Turkey’s eastern border. Three-stages of analysis were carried out in the study: the Mantel–Haenszel test, ordered logit, and CART (Classification and Regression Trees) decision tree. The main findings obtained from these analyses show that individuals leaving their country for economic reasons and because of war/terrorism are happier, while those leaving their country because of religious and cultural pressures are unhappier. According to the results of the CART analysis, the most frequently repeated variables are economic and life satisfaction of individuals who are satisfied with their household income and save money is at its highest level. In the analysis it is also seen that the life satisfaction level of individuals who are not satisfied with their household income, leave their country for reasons other than economic reasons, and make a living on debt is very low. This study also focuses on the relationship between happiness and sustainable development (SD). It has associated the reasons for migrants leaving their countries with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), highlighting the significance of happiness studies in achieving the SDGs.

Enhanced atmospheric water cycle processes induced by climate warming over the three rivers source region

The relationship between the ocean, land, and atmosphere is greatly impacted by climate change, and the atmospheric water cycle constitutes the most active and crucial hub in this interaction. Two crucial components of the atmospheric water cycle are the precipitation recycle ratio (PRR) and the water vapor source. Accurate quantification of these components can greatly assist in a better understanding of the atmospheric water cycle processes and variations. In this study, measured data from radiosondes and meteorological stations are used to assess the accuracy of the ERA5 reanalysis dataset. The Mann-Kendall (M-K), empirical orthogonal function (EOF), and probability density function (PDF) are utilized to analyze the spatiotemporal variations in the components of the atmospheric water cycle and to trace the sources of water vapor. Based on the Brubaker model, the PRR is estimated, and the atmospheric water cycle process over the three rivers source region (TRSR) is quantified. The findings reveal that (1) there is a significant increase in temperature, precipitation, evaporation, and water vapor content over the TRSR from 1979 to 2020, and the distribution of precipitation and water vapor content decreases from southeast to northwest. (2) The South Asian monsoon and westerly winds are the predominant atmospheric cycle systems for water vapor transport over the TRSR. The water vapor input at the western, southern, and northern borders all exhibit an increasing trend (0.16 × 105 kg s−1 a−1, 0.18 × 105 kg s−1 a−1, 0.09 × 105 kg s−1 a−1, respectively, p > 0.05), while the water vapor output at the eastern border exhibits a decreasing trend (−0.009 × 105 kg s−1 a−1, p > 0.05), resulting in a significant increase in net water vapor influxes (0.43 × 105 kg s−1 a−1, p < 0.05). Water vapor convergence occurs in the southeast while water vapor dispersion occurs in the northwest regions of the TRSR. (3) The multi-year average PRR is 20.85%, with a slightly declining trend, and the contribution of external moisture transport to regional precipitation is dominant over the TRSR. Climate change has sped up the atmospheric water cycle over the TRSR between 1979 and 2020: for every 1 °C rise in temperature, water vapor content increased by 6.83%, precipitation increased by 4.71%, and evaporation increased by 3.62%.