Kaliningrad Oblast Research Articles

Upper Eocene (Priabonian) bryozoans from the Sambia Peninsula of the Kaliningrad Oblast (Russia)

Upper Eocene (Priabonian) bryozoans from the Sambia Peninsula of the Kaliningrad Oblast (Russia)

Diversification of the concept of foreign economic activity of russian banks in the new economic conditions Yulia S. Polozhentseva1

Relevance. Russian banks actively participate in international trade and economic relations. However, taking into account geopolitical and economic changes, such as sanctions and changes in trade blocs, banks need to develop strategies for effective expansion of their activities at the international level. Business planning for the geographical development of foreign trade will help banks to adapt to new market conditions, determine optimal strategies and resources for the development of export-import operations, as well as minimize risks and increase competitiveness on the world stage..The purpose is to conduct a comprehensive study of the possibilities of geographical development of the foreign economic activity of Russian banks..Objectives: analyze regional markets for their potential; to determine the main advantages and disadvantages of the activity of foreign trade of Russian banks; will identify the peculiarities of the bank's exit to the new dawn within the framework of foreign trade, draw up a business plan and determine the criteria for the success of the project.Methodology. In the process of research, general scientific methods of logical and statistical analysis, field research, as well as qualitative and quantitative analysis were used.Results. 10 Russian banks, their foreign trade development strategy and future prospects were considered. The regions in which the opening of a bank branch will be the most successful for foreign trade have been identified: Tatarstan, Primorsky Krai, Kaliningrad Oblast, Yekaterinburg. A business plan for entering a new regional market for a bank with a focus on foreign trade has been drawn up, taking into account industry specifics.Conclusion. The foreign trade development strategy allows banks to expand their client base, increase their global presence and provide their clients with access to international financial services.

Scenario Analysis of Socio-Economic and Climate Related Changes in Nutrient Load and Retention for the Pregolya River Catchment (South-Eastern Baltic): The View at the Beginning of 21<sup>st</sup> Century

The study analysed the transboundary Pregolya River Catchment, covering both the Polish and Russian parts, using the HYPE hydrological module and FyrisNP emission-retention model. The results revealed significant spatial variations in nutrient retention. The data assessment indicates that, at the start of the 21st century, the nutrient load from the Polish part of the catchment is significantly greater than that from the Russian part. Model simulations based on climatic projections for the years 2041–2060, but with current nutrient loads, showed a significant level of uncertainty in the changes of nutrient export to the Baltic Sea. The range for total nitrogen was –10 % to +27 %, and for total phosphorus it was –29 % to –10 %. Model simulations based on different socio-economic scenarios, but current climate conditions, showed that if present 5-year trends are maintained, nutrient export will only increase slightly (3 % for total nitrogen and total phosphorus). If the plans for socio-economic growth of Polish and Russian local governments are implemented, including the expansion of agriculture in Kaliningrad Oblast, there will be a significant increase in nutrient export (78 % for total nitrogen and 55 % for total phosphorus).

Diabelskie koło historii. Poetyki miejskie w powieści Aleksieja Iwanowa Cienie Teutonów

Shadows of the Teutons, a novel by the contemporary Russian writer Aleksei Ivanov, was published in 2021. The story unfolds across two different time periods. Some events take place in 1457 during the siege of Marienburg, the capital of the Teutonic Order’s State, and the Polish-Teutonic conflict serves as a starting point for the depiction of later battles, in 1945, within the former East Prussia, now known as the Kaliningrad Oblast. This article examines the means used to create the urban spaces depicted in the novel and their transformation as a result of armed conflicts. It focuses on the urban landscapes of Baltiysk (Pillau) and Malbork (Marienburg), which exhibit a complex identity and strong interconnections at various levels of the narrative structure. The analysis explores somatopoetics and thanatopoetics, two categories the author employs to describe places, as well as the auditory and olfactory dimensions of everyday wartime experiences, memoryscapes, Teutonic castles and underground settings such as cellars, bunkers, catacombs, secret passages and tunnels.

Ecological Groups of Coleoptera (Insecta) as Indicators of Habitat Transformation on Drained and Rewetted Peatlands: A Baseline Study from a Carbon Supersite, Kaliningrad, Russia.

A total of 281 coleopteran species from 41 families were recorded from different sites of an abandoned cut-over peatland designated as the Carbon Measurement Supersite in Kaliningrad Oblast. This beetle assemblage is considered a baseline (pre-impact) faunal assemblage for further investigations during the 'before-after' (BA) or 'before-after control-impact' (BACI) study on a peatland that is planned to be rewetted. The spontaneously revegetated peatland has a less specialised beetle assemblage than at an intact raised bog. Tyrphobiontic species are completely absent from the peatland, while some tyrphophiles (5.3% of the total beetle fauna) are still found as remnants of the former raised bog communities. The predominant coenotic coleopteran group is tyrphoneutral generalists from various non-bog habitats (72.9%). The species composition is associated with the vegetation structure of the disturbed peatland (fragmentary Sphagnum cover, lack of open habitats, and widespread birch coppice or tree stand), which does not correspond to that of a typical European raised bog. The sampled coleopteran assemblage is divided into several relative ecological groups, whose composition and peculiarities are discussed separately. Possible responses to the rewetting measurements in different coleopteran groups are predicted and briefly discussed. A complex assemblage of stenotopic peatland-specialised tyrphophiles (15 spp.) and the most abundant tyrphoneutral generalists (31 spp.) were assigned as indicators for the environmental monitoring of peatland development.

Maps of Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration Potential in the Russian Croplands

Adoption of the farming systems that aim to sequester carbon in agricultural soils is one of the ways to mitigate global climate change. This study focuses on the estimation of organic carbon sequestration potential of the Russian croplands in the upper (0–30 cm) soil layer by creating a set of maps using the data from global and national databases as the input data. The maps are generated within the FAO Global Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration Potential Map (GSOCseq) project according to the unified methodology using the RothC model to predict the rate of carbon sequestration in 2020–2040 under a business as usual scenario (BAU), as well as under sustainable soil management scenarios with additional different C input (+5, +10, and +20%) resulting from the use of sustainable soil management (SSM) scenarios. The total potential sequestration rate by the croplands of the Russian Federation in the 0–30-cm layer under a BAU scenario is assessed at 8.5 Mt/year and the estimate under SSM scenarios, up to 25.5 Mt/year. The carbon sequestration by the cropland of each soil ecological zone (except for the light chestnut (Eutric Cambisols (Protocalcic)) and brown semidesert (Luvic Calcisols) soils, where it is around zero) and on a national scale is positive. The Altai krai, Omsk oblast, Novosibirsk oblast, and Krasnoyarsk krai have the greatest potential for sequestration. Several subjects of the Russian Federation—Krasnodar krai, Republic of Crimea, Rostov oblast, Primorskii krai, Republic of Adygea, and Kaliningrad oblast—demand the adoption of sustainable management of soil resources.

Invasion of the North: The Eastern Tree Frog (<i>Hyla orientalis</i>) Range Shift in the East Baltic Sea Region

Peculiarities of distribution of eastern tree frog in Kaliningrad Oblast’ of Russia were studied. Until recently, only rare records of tree frogs were observed here, which are probably associated with introductions or penetration of the species from border regions of Lithuania and Poland. However, in the period 2007 – 2022 we revealed here 41 new localities of Hyla orientalis throughout the southern part of Kaliningrad Oblast’. In all studied localities, where we found mating tree frogs, shallow fish-free puddles surrounding by agricultural fields were used as breeding habitats. Local populations of the species are quite abundant. The northern boundary of native range of H. orientalis in 1940 was on the adjacent territory of north-eastern Poland. Thus, we recorded a shift to the north of the range boundary of the species by approximately 30 – 40 km over the past 82 years. This is most likely is related to global warming. In the region, the average temperature and the amount of precipitation are increasing, which lead to favorable conditions for the long-term existence of warm puddles in the fields, in which tadpoles can successfully and more rapidly develop. The appearance of a large number of such biotopes allowed this species to successfully populate this territory.

Do we need a border wall? The social perception of ‘walling’ the Polish-Russian border after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine

ABSTRACT The project of progressive securitisation of the Polish – Russian borderland is implemented with huge support from local communities. Inhabitants of the Polish border area support all possible tools intended for the protection of the Polish – Russian border. The results also show that the war in Ukraine and potential threats of migration from the Kaliningrad Oblast change the social optics with regard to the border with Russia. The present paper seeks to investigate how the local communities of Polish border zone with Russia perceive the activities conducted in order to reinforce the defensive function of the Polish – Russian border. For this purpose, a survey was carried out among inhabitants of the Polish border area with Russia.

Индикация влияния повышенной турбулентной активности в тропосфере на фазовые измерения радиосигналов ГНСС на примере урагана Надя

The authors examine the impact of Nadia Hurricane, 2022, January, 29–30, over the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, on phase measurements of permanent GNSS stations. For this purpose, the data were processed in PPP mode from 10 objects located in Poland and the Kaliningrad oblast of the Russian Federation. As a result, residuals were obtained, from which the contribution of multipath, ephemeris errors and those, in clock corrections of navigation satellites, were subtracted. It was found out that the standard deviation of cleaned residuals is a weak indicator of increased turbulent activity caused by the hurricane. However, simple counting the total daily number of large cleaned residuals, normalized to the zenith direction can be an effective indicator for identifying periods of high tropospheric turbulence. It can be used both for remote sensing of rapidly developing weather processes, and in interpreting data from permanently operating satellite geodetic monitoring stations of particularly dangerous and technically complex objects

Regional food markets of the Western borderlands of Russia: adaptation to integration and disintegration processes

The paper reveals the mechanisms of adaptation of food markets in the western borderland of Russia to the integration and disintegration processes that have been taking place on the external and internal borders of the Eurasian Economic Union since 2014. Using the example of the Kaliningrad and Smolensk oblasts, the authors identified changes in the regional food base under conditions of active import substitution, assessed the changes in food preferences of the population, as well as the role of cross-border practices in meeting the population's food needs. Based on the analysis of regional and federal statistics and field research, it was possible to establish that against the background of active investment in agriculture and food production there were three parallel processes: the spatial contraction of agricultural production, the expansion of its production capacity by large agricultural holdings in strictly defined areas (around regional capitals and important transport routes), and the expansion of holdings in selected peripheral areas with the lowest land value. Despite the commonality of the processes, the performance in agriculture and food production and activity in obtaining state support in Smolensk and Kaliningrad oblasts are radically different. Visual inspection of retail outlets, discourse analysis and representative surveys of the population allowed us to conclude that import substitution only partially allowed to provide raw materials and final products to regional food markets in both regions, since most holdings are oriented to meet the demand in high-margin markets inside and outside the country. Food markets in border regions are characterized, on the one hand, by greater vulnerability to integration and disintegration processes, and, on the other hand, by the variability of choice and opportunities for cross-border shopping trips. However, empirical data obtained by sociological methods show that the widespread perceptions of high cross-border mobility of the population of border regions are highly overestimated. The populations of Smolensk and Kaliningrad oblasts are similar in the level of mobility and conservatism with regard to shopping for goods of specific manufacturers of a suitable price segment. The “network” (through intermediaries) penetration of “sanctioned” goods in the Kaliningrad oblast covered a much larger share of the population than that which directly traveled abroad for shopping, so the adaptation of the population to external challenges to the food market was more noticeable.

Military Importance of the Kaliningrad Oblast

Military Importance of the Kaliningrad Oblast

GEOSPATIAL MODELING OF THE DISTRIBUTION OF TOURIST ATTRACTIONS FOR THE FUNCTIONAL DELIMITATION OF COASTAL ZONES

Coastline attracts people for recreational, residential, entrepreneurial, and industrial activity, resulting in a worldwide phenomenon of coastalization – the shift to the coasts. The proximity to marine coasts is, therefore, a competitive advantage and a development resource for coastal regions around the globe. However, the efficient use of coastal economic-geographical position depends on the numerous external and internal factors, and requires, firstly, a functional delimitation of the coastal zone, and, secondly, an integrated coastal zone management. This article studies the relationship between the proximity to the seacoast and the development of the tourism sector. The aim is to identify the geographical boundaries of using the seaside position in the interest of tourism development; in other words, we identify the functional boundaries of the coastal zone associated with tourist attractions. The research area covers two Russian regions located on the Baltic Sea (Kaliningrad Oblast) and the Sea of Japan (Primorsky Krai). The findings reveal that the optimal zone for developing coastal tourism is within a 10km of the sea, with the most preferable zone extending no further than 1km from the coast. The density of tourist attractions has a positive correlation with the concentration of service sector facilities and infrastructure.

Special features of institutional environment of the Kaliningrad Oblast's innovative development

Subject. The article addresses the institutional environment of innovative development of the Kaliningrad Oblast. Objectives. The aim is to identify basic parameters of institutional environment of the Kaliningrad Oblast as a model region, representing a virtual cluster of administrative-territorial entities of the Russian Federation with low level of innovative development. Methods. The study employs methods of economic-statistical, cluster and logical analysis of basic parameters of the institutional environment of regions in the context of their innovative development. Results. The paper presents results of logical interpretation of economic and statistical (cluster, correlation and regression) analysis of the state and dynamics of basic parameters of model region’s institutional environment, representing a virtual group of administrative-territorial entities of the country, characterized by low level of innovation activity. Conclusions. The results of innovative activities of the region, estimated by the share of innovative goods, works, services in their total volume during 2010–2022, demonstrate formally unstable growth. However, fluctuations in values between 0.1 and 1 per cent actually mean consistently low values. The state of institutional environment of the region does not contribute to its innovative development due to low values of propensity for innovation and consumption, unstable dynamics of propensity to consume and to materialize assets.

Regional Paleogene Stratigraphic Scheme of Kaliningrad Oblast: State of Art, Problems and Prospects for Improvement

Regional Paleogene Stratigraphic Scheme of Kaliningrad Oblast: State of Art, Problems and Prospects for Improvement

Epidemic status in Russia’s Northwestern Federal District: tick-borne encephalitis and ixodes tick-borne borreliosis (lyme disease), 2002–2021

The study's objective was to reveal trends in tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) and Ixodes tick-borne borreliosis (ITBB) epidemic processes in Russia's Northwestern Federal District (NWFD) in 2002–2021. In the NWFD during the analyzed period, more than 1.1 million patients sought medical help following tick bites (14% of all cases registered nationwide). The long-term average tick bite incidence rate in the NWFD exceeded the nation-wide value: 409.5 and 280.7, respectively. In the NWFD, the highest long-term average tick bite incidence rates were recorded in Vologda Oblast, Pskov Oblast, and Novgorod Oblast. The tick bite incidence rate tended to grow in the NWFD, as well as nationally. The growth in tick bite incidence was statistically significant in the Republic of Komi, Kaliningrad Oblast, and Arkhangelsk Oblast. In 2002–2021, more than 6000 TBE cases were registered in the NWFD (11% of all cases registered nationwide), and the TBE long-term average incidence rate in the NWFD exceeded the national value: 2.3 and 2.0, respectively. The Republic of Karelia, Arkhangelsk Oblast, and Vologda Oblast were three NWFD subjects with high TBE epidemical hazard. TBE incidence in the analyzed period tended to decrease, both in the NWFD and nationwide. A statistically significant decrease in TBE incidence was revealed in St. Petersburg, in the Republic of Karelia, in Novgorod Oblast, and in Leningrad Oblast. About 22 000 ITBB cases were reported in the NWFD during the analyzed period (15% of all ITBB cases in Russia). The ITBB long-term average incidence rate in the NWFD exceeded the national value: 7.9 and 4.9, respectively. Vologda Oblast, Kaliningrad Oblast, and Pskov Oblast were three NWFD subjects with high epidemical hazard in terms of ITBB. ITBB incidence during the analyzed period tended to decrease, both in the NWFD and nationwide. The decrease in ITBB incidence was statistically significant in Vologda, Kaliningrad, Novgorod, Leningrad and Pskov Oblasts, as well as in St. Petersburg. In the Republic of Komi, in contrast to other NWFD subjects or national data, there was an uptrend in both TBE and ITBB incidence.

The Age and Depositional Settings of the Upper Paleogene–Lower Neogene Kurshskaya Formation in its Stratotype Section (Kaliningrad Oblast) based on Palynological Data

The Age and Depositional Settings of the Upper Paleogene–Lower Neogene Kurshskaya Formation in its Stratotype Section (Kaliningrad Oblast) based on Palynological Data

The Age and the Accumulation Conditions of the Upper Paleogene–Lower Neogene Kurshskaya Formation Stratotype (Kaliningrad Oblast) by Palynological Data

The results of the palinologycal study of the Kurshskaya Formation stratotype (Primorsky quarry, Kaliningrad Oblast) are presented. In the lower part of the Kurshskaya Formation (Member of “chocolate” clays), a complex of dinoflagellate cysts with Areosphaeridium diktyoplokum, Glaphyrocysta semitecta, and Cordosphaeridium funiculatum of latest Eocene age was found. The formation is characterized by four spore-pollen assemblages: (1) Pinuspollenites–Inaperturopollenites–Sciadopityspollenites assemblage of latest Eocene age in the “chocolate” clays and in the lower part of brown sands; (2) Sequoiapollenites–Betulaepollenites betuloides assemblage of early Oligocene age in the lower part of the brown sands member; (3) Boehlensipollis hohli–Carpinipites carpinoides assemblage of early Oligocene age in the middle part of brown sands member; (4) Alnipollenites–Corylopollis assemblage of late Oligocene–early Miocene age in the upper part of the brown sands of the Kurshskaya Formation. The general age of the Kurshskaya Formation is terminal Eocene–early Miocene. In the lower parts of the Zamland Formation, which overlies the Kurshskaya Formation, the Pinuspollenites–Tricolporopollenites pseudocingulum–T. euphorii assemblage presumably of middle Miocene age was found. Based on the obtained palynological data, the conditions of sedimentation at the end of the Eocene–Oligocene–early Miocene in the South Baltic region are reconstructed. The regression of the sea basin began as early as the end of the Priabonian, the climate was still quite warm and humid, close to subtropical. Mesophytic mixed coniferous-broad-leaved forests grew along the shores of the strait, low-lying areas of land were occupied by marsh vegetation. Cooling at the Eocene/Oligocene boundary resulted in the appearance of hemlock in plant communities and an increase in the proportion of catkins (alder, birch, hornbeam). Presumably, in the late Oligocene–early Miocene, the proportion of small-leaved trees, especially alder and hazel, sharply increased in mesophytic forests, while the number of pine trees decreased. Wetter and warmer climatic conditions are assumed for the early Miocene: this time is characterized by an increase in the number of walnut, cypress, and Cyrillaceae. In the middle Miocene, the climate was still quite warm, but drier, and such moisture-loving species as podocarpus, spruce, glyptostrobus, and swamp cypress disappeared from plant communities.

First Data on the Species Composition and Development of Cladocera (Crustacea: Branchiopoda) in Mire Ecosystems (Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia)

First Data on the Species Composition and Development of Cladocera (Crustacea: Branchiopoda) in Mire Ecosystems (Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia)

Population Dynamics and Settlement Transformation of Russians in the Russian Federation in 1990–2010

This article compares national census data of 1989, 2002, and 2010 to offer a quantitative description of the distribution dynamics of the Russian people in 1989–2010 based on a classification of Russian regions by the share of Russians in their population and using the Eckel index. Research has found that in regions of the Russian Federation where Russians constitute the absolute or the relative majority, despite the ongoing process of depopulation of Russians, censuses indicate no decline in the share of Russians in the population. The article analyzes the reasons behind this fact. Having contrasted the magnitude of changes in the size of the population of Russians and other peoples of the region in the period concerned, the author concludes specific demographic factors, such as natural Russian population growth/decline as well as migration or assimilation processes, to prevail in the respective region. The author identifies the key regions that were the origin or the destination of migration of Russians in the period under consideration and examines the reasons for such migration. It is found that Russians migrated to such regions as Belgorod Oblast, Moscow, Kaliningrad Oblast, Krasnodarsky Krai, Tyumen Oblast. Among regions that saw a considerable migration outflow of Russians are several republics of the North Caucasus, the Sakha Republic (Yakutia), Tuva, Koryak Okrug, as well as some regions of the Russian Arctic. A special focus is given to a trend that has been present in recent censuses, namely, the growing number of people who “did not specify their ethnicity”. If that trend persists, it will evidently lead to a distortion of the overall picture of the ethnic composition of Russia and its regions.

Borderlands in times of crisis: The possibility of de-marginalisation of the Polish border zone with Russia after the outbreak of war in Ukraine

Abstract The Polish-Russian border, closed since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, transformed into an iron curtain without any chance for its disappearance in a long-term perspective. The ongoing conflict between Russia and the EU started an experiment in the Polish zone bordering with Russia with respect to the planning of economic growth in the new reality – in a fully isolated area – where the border is a limitation and not an opportunity. According to the author’s research, the crisis caused by the permanent closing of the Polish-Russian border and suspension of contacts with the Kaliningrad Oblast, which initially was a hard blow for the border communes, with a particularly difficult economic situation, may – in the long-term perspective – turn out to be an important driving force for changes. The primary purpose of this paper is to identify the main actions taken by the Polish local authorities at the border with Russia, the aim of which is revitalisation of the local economy after the Polish-Russian border was closed. The article is based on a number of in-depth expert interviews carried out in the Polish border area.