Russian North Research Articles

Diary of a peasant Ivan Glotov

The review of Ivan Glotov's published diary reveals the peculiarities of the peasant lifeworld at a critical time (before and after the October Revolution 1917) reflected in this unique historical source. The review details the specific features of the Soviet collectivization in the Russian North, which interrupted the prosperous, hasteless and genteel life of the Northern Russian village.

Traditions of cultivation and storage of turnips in the Russian North: the view of an ethnolinguist

The article is drawn on lexical and onomastic data collected during field research in the Arkhangelsk, Vologda, and Kostroma regions of Russia, as well as on relevant materials from lexicographic and ethnographic sources. It takes an ethnolinguistic standpoint to examine the toponyms and geographical terms that exhibit commonalities with the word turnip in various motifs, and explore the complex of cultural and linguistic phenomena related to the cultivation and storage of turnips. Areal topology and context analysis approaches to methodologies of studying vocabularies have been instrumental in reconstructing the specifics of turnip cultivation in slash-and-burn agricultural systems and discovering the influence of Baltic-Finnish everyday practices on Northern Russian traditions. The article discusses the geographical distribution of so called repishche, that is names given to forest areas burned and cleared for turnip, flax, and rye lots, as well as the tradition of constructing basic unequipped storage facilities called “turnip pits”.

Sacred landscape of rural historical settlements of the Russian North and the Arctic

Sacred landscape of rural historical settlements of the Russian North and the Arctic

IMPACT OF HABITUAL SMOKING ON THE ORGANISM OF ADOLESCENTS LIVING IN THE NORTH OF RUSSIA

The aim of the work is to analyze the impact of habitual smoking on the physiological systems of adolescents living in the north of Russia (65º N). Materials and Methods. Using generally accepted methods, morphofunctional, physiometric, physiological and psychological parameters were determined in 34 boys aged 14–15 years (11 smokers for at least 2–3 years and 23 non-smokers). The level of physical health was assessed according to Apanasenko method. Results. Compared with non-smokers, smoking adolescents have statistically significantly higher body weight, body mass index (BMI), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), pulse pressure (PP), mean blood pressure (MBP) during exercise, heart rate (HR) during exercise and its increase while working, HR recovery after exercise (Martine-Kushelevsky test), rate pressure product (RPP), and scores of activity (WAM questionnaire). At the same time, they demonstrated lower strength index (SI), maximum expiratory pressure (MEP), vital capacity (VC), vital index (VI), Skibinskaya index (SI), level of physical health (LPH), and WAM parameters. Smokers, compared to 11 non-smokers of the same weight, have statistically significantly lower height, strength and SI, Genchi test time, MEP, VC, VI, SI, LPH, and scores of well-being and mood (WAM parameters). However, they have higher HR during exercise, its increase while working, and HR recovery. Excess body weight in smokers leads to hypertension, while long-term smoking in teenagers living in the north of Russia causes physiological decline and physical health deterioration. In some cases, our results (decrease in strength, Genchi test time, VC, VI, increased HR, hypertensive reactions, and health deterioration in smokers) correlate with the data obtained both in our country and abroad.

Comparison of modeling of the polar cap absorption effect with observations at the AARI ground-based network

An elliptical model of cutoff for solar cosmic rays (SCR) at high latitudes has been calculated for SCR events and geomagnetic storms that occurred in February, March, and September 2014, June 2015, and September 2017 in order to predict the polar cap absorption (PCA) effect. The prediction is compared with observations of the PCA effect at the AARI network of six ionosondes, located in the north of Russia in a wide range of longitudes from 30 to 170 and magnetic latitudes from 56 to 64. We examine the dependence of the cutoff latitude on the magnetic storm strength, as well as the effect of additional ionization of the dayside and nightside ionosphere by SCR protons and electrons. The model demonstrates a satisfactory statistical accuracy up to 0.83 for the PCA prediction. We discuss prospects for further improvement of the elliptical model, such as consideration of the impact of SCRs of higher energies and inclusion of the PC index of energy flux into the polar cap.

Сравнение моделирования эффекта поглощения в полярной шапке с наблюдениями на сети станций ААНИИ

An elliptical model of cutoff for solar cosmic rays (SCR) at high latitudes has been calculated for SCR events and geomagnetic storms that occurred in February, March, and September 2014, June 2015, and September 2017 in order to predict the polar cap absorption (PCA) effect. The prediction is compared with observations of the PCA effect at the AARI network of six ionosondes, located in the north of Russia in a wide range of longitudes from 30 to 170 and magnetic latitudes from 56 to 64. We examine the dependence of the cutoff latitude on the magnetic storm strength, as well as the effect of additional ionization of the dayside and nightside ionosphere by SCR protons and electrons. The model demonstrates a satisfactory statistical accuracy up to 0.83 for the PCA prediction. We discuss prospects for further improvement of the elliptical model, such as consideration of the impact of SCRs of higher energies and inclusion of the PC index of energy flux into the polar cap.

Институт наставничества в социокультурном пространстве Русского Севера и Русской Арктики: традиции и новации

At the XV Congress of Anthropologists and Ethnologists of Russia, held in St. Petersburg at the end of June 2023, special attention was paid to the discussion of topical theoretical and practical problems related to scientific reflections and social practices of the institute of mentoring in the cultures of the Rus-sian North. The report presented by the authors of this article at the Congress outlined the scientific results of research on the traditional institution of mentoring in the Old Believer societies of Karelians, Komi, Russian Ust-Tsilems, the “institute of grandmothers” in Kenozerye and Onega Pomorie, the ritual “mentoring” functions of Nenets shamans and Zyryan sorcerers, public practices of the spiritual guidance of the laity in the parochial community of the North Russian mir-zemstvo. The central place in the article is given to the presentation of the scientific results of the analysis of the forms, methods and directions of the mentoring activities of the Kenozerskiy National Park, which, relying on the ethno-cultural heritage of the traditional societies of the Ozernyy district, acts as a reference methodological school-laboratory, implementing a wide range of mentoring research and educational practices aimed at transformation of local territories into a socio-cultural space of creative dialogue and cooperation between the Park and local communities, training of leaders and activists of territorial public self-government (TPS), elaboration of regional strategy and local programs of spatial development of the Northern macro-region.

"New geographical map of the Northern lands of the Great Kingdom of Moscow" N. Visskher 1720 as a source of the history of northern monasteries

The article examines a map printed in Amsterdam in 1720 by Piscator Jr. It is of considerable interest from the point of view of historical geography for studying the densely populated Russian North with a huge number of towns and villages, temples and monasteries, many of which are now lost. The main topic of the work is the study of rich factual material and the clarification of a number of toponyms, which Dutch masters often wrote down, significantly distorting the Russian names.

GIRLISH SONGS OF THE YOUTH OF THE INHABITANTS OF THE TIMES OF 1900 - 1927 OF THE DARAVATSKY VILLAGE COUNCIL OF KOZHUKHOV VOLOST IN THE PRACTICE OF COMMUNICATIVE AND SPEECH PORTRAITURE THE LINGUISTIC PERSONALITY OF A NATIVE OF THE NORTHERN VILLAGE

The article implements the problems of dialect linguistic personology, it solves the problem of communicative and speech portrayal of the linguistic personality of Vasily Ardalyonovich Morozov (1904-1980) on the basis of a linguistic analysis of his handwritten archive and memories of his children and grandchildren. Considerable attention is paid in this article to the handwritten list of Vologda ditties - one of the significant components of the studied manuscript archive, which is important both for studying the traditional spiritual culture of the Russian North and for describing the cultural life of the Morozov family in rural and urban everyday life. Based on the study of the handwritten list of ditties, the phonetic, lexical and grammatical features of dialect origin characteristic of the author of the manuscript, reflected in written speech, characterizing V.A. Morozov as a native speaker of the northeastern (Vologda) dialects of the northern dialect of the Russian language, are revealed. The list of folk songs represents the distinctive features of the author's graphics and spelling, on the one hand, showing the utmost accuracy in presenting the factual component of the manuscript, and on the other, allowing numerous spelling and punctuation errors, the presence of which reveals a clear lack of education of the informant. The article also comments on the motifs and images of folk ditties closest to V.A. Morozov. This is the motif of playing the accordion, mentioning the attributes of military service, as well as items of men's clothing fashionable in the first quarter of the twentieth century. The identification of motives and images important to the informant became possible by comparing the texts written by his hand with the recordings of texts of this folklore genre performed by his wife A.N. Morozova.

Customary Regulation of Obligations from Contracts among the Peasants of the Russian North in the second half of the XIX – early XX centuries

Customary Regulation of Obligations from Contracts among the Peasants of the Russian North in the second half of the XIX – early XX centuries

Проблемы укрепления безопасности российского Севера в условиях военной активности НАТО

Актуальность проблемы обусловлена тем, что основные причины и предпосылки расширения военной активности Арктических стран вызваны обострением международной обстановки в мире, возникновением новой архитектуры международных отношений. Подчеркивается, что возрастающая роль РФ на мировом энергетическом и продовольственном рынках, а также в мировой морской логистике блокирует США и их союзников по НАТО, заставляет их проводить агрессивный курс и милитаризировать Арктику. Россия вынуждена принимать ответные меры, укрепляя свою оборону в этом регионе. Статья нацелена на авторскую в современных условиях оценку процессов милитаризации Арктики. Используются следующие исследовательские методы: структурно-функциональный, логистический, историко-сравнительный. Задача исследования – изучение усиления роли Арктики в современных условиях. В статье использованы элементы экспертности. Укрепляя арктическую безопасность, Россия надеется на здравый подход и независимую от США арктическую политику небольших государств членов Арктического Совета, таких как Исландия, Дания, Норвегия, Швеция, которым Вашингтон пытается «выкручивать руки» и принуждает усиливать военное присутствие в регионе. В освоении Арктики, укреплении региональной безопасности в этом открывающемся регионе Москва рассчитывает и на поддержку таких дружественных стран, как Индия и Китай. С КНР уже налажены неплохой диалог и совместная практическая деятельность в Арктике. Его экономика, экономическая мощь, растущий политический вес как ядерной державы, как постоянного члена СБ ООН несомненны. Китай все больше превращается в мировую сверхдержаву, способную реально противостоять США.

Оценка перспектив вовлечения территорий упраздненных поселений в туристско-рекреационное хозяйство (на примере Республики Карелия)

This article emphasizes the relevance of exploring import substitution strategies in the Russian tourism and recreational market. Special attention is given to the need to satisfy the demand for unique travel experiences. As it is necessary to integrate unused territories into the economy, the article proposes to increase the involvement of abandoned settlements in the tourism and recreational sector. To identify the most promising villages, a goal was set to develop and test a scoring scale based on the system of indicators proposed by the authors. The Republic of Karelia was chosen as the research site. Criteria were identified to determine the attractiveness and feasibility of including abandoned settlements in tour itineraries. Based on these criteria, villages such as Keret, Loushki, Pulozero, Pegrema, Kashalilamba, Lagilamba, Kharitonova Gora, Gafostrof Rebolskoy, and Kolodozero were selected. Using the assessment system presented in the article, these villages were assigned points, and the integral indicator was calculated. The results show that Keret, Gafostrof Rebolskoy, Kashalilamba, Kakkarovo, and Pegrema are the most promising ones, which is confirmed by practice: Keret, Gafostrof Rebolskoy, and Pegrema have already been included in tour itineraries. Future research prospects involve improving the presented methodology, as it requires adaptation to factor in individual socio-economic and natural characteristics of other regions. It is also possible to expand the list of factors influencing the attractiveness of abandoned settlements. Theoretical developments in this direction can serve as a basis for the successful integration of abandoned villages in the tourism and recreational market in the Russian North.

Incorporation of foreign timber concessions in Soviet Russia in the 1920s

The article based on legislative acts of Soviet Russia and unpublished sources of the State Archive of the Arkhangelsk Oblast, describes the features of incorporation of Russangloles, Russhollandoles and Russnorvegoles joint-stock companies, operating in the North of Russia in the 1920s. The article analyzes the Standard Agreement on Timber Concessions (1922), which was used by the Soviet state and foreign entrepreneurs in the process of drafting concession agreements in the timber industry and the Scheme for Constructing a Standard Agreement on Timber Concession. The study of these sources allows reconstructing the principle of forming contracts contributing to Russangloles, Russhollandoles and Russnorvegoles functioning.

Этнический потенциал формирования человеческих ресурсов российской Арк­тики

The reproduction of the old-timer population and first-generation migrants, the demographic dynamics of the status ethnic groups of the national republics of the Russian North (Karelians, Komi, Tuvans and Yakuts) and the indigenous peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East form the population and human resources of the Russian Arctic. Those working on a rotational basis partly cover the need for labor resources. Each group of human resources demonstrates distinctive demographic dynamics and contributes to the formation of human resources in the Russian Arctic. The purpose of the study is to assess each component of the formation of human resources in the Russian Arctic. The authors conclude that there has been a high decline in the old-timer population and new settlers since the 1990s and reveal the multidirectional dynamics of the status and indigenous peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East, though emphasize that their number in Russia is almost half of the human resources of the Russian Arctic. Materials from the population censuses of 1926—2021make up the information base of the study.

Long-term dynamics of fish populations in lakes of the “Russian North” National Park

Long-term dynamics of fish populations in lakes of the “Russian North” National Park

Green and climate colonialities: Evidence from Arctic extractivisms

This article examines 16 environmental conflicts across the Arctic that demonstrate resistance to both climate and green extractive colonialisms. Resistance movements counter green-labelled developments, such as a 350 km road project in Ambler (Alaska) needed for copper extraction; large-scale wind power industries on Sámi territories; palladium and platinum mega-projects on Dolgan, Evenks, and Sámi lands in the Russian North; as well as the biggest natural gas project in the world on the Yamalo-Nenets peninsula, promoted as "the cleanest" of all fossil fuels. The article contributes to the field of political ecology by arguing that past colonial ties mediated by fossil fuels are inextricably linked to the increase of green extractivism and climate colonialism in the Arctic, both of which are embedded in socio-ecological crises that deepen colonial relations. In most places these crises drive new extractivisms, but in others, they function as possible barriers, increasing risks and costs of extraction while not reducing the will to pursue extractivist endeavors. 

Folk art of the Russian North as a paradigm for the development and preservation of cultural values of the peoples of Russia

Folk art of the Russian North as a paradigm for the development and preservation of cultural values of the peoples of Russia

Уровень жизни в регионах Севера России: статистический анализ

This research focuses on the statistical analysis of the standard of living in the Russian North. The objectives of the study encompass a theoretical review of both Russian and international literature on living standards and an analysis of key indicators from the Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat), examining income, expenses, and consumption patterns in the northern regions of Russia. The standard of living is recognized as a multifaceted social and economic category, reflecting the level of providing the population with consumer goods and services. This provision aims to shape a mix that best satisfies demands. In Russia's northern regions, this domain is influenced by distinctive factors, including challenging natural and climatic conditions, limited transportation, and the application of a regional pay system, which includes Northern benefits. The research identifies a gap in Russian studies concerning the differentiation of the standard of living by regions, particularly in lacking tools to assess rational consumption patterns. The use of the living wage proves challenging due to its monetary nature, and the utilization of a fixed market basket overlooks the necessity to consider difficult natural and climatic conditions. The scientific novelty of this study lies in terminology updates and an integrated approach to analyzing regional differentiation in the standard of living within the Russian North. The long-term implications of further research revolve around the imperative to develop a method for assessing such differentiation and to upgrade research and practical recommendations for improving living standards in the northern regions of Russia.

Militarisation of the Arctic and Problems of Strengthening the Security of the Russian North

The relevance is due to the fact that the main rea¬sons and prerequisites for the expansion of military activity of the Arctic countries are caused by the aggravation of the international situation in the world, the emergence of a new architecture of international relations. It is emphasised that the increasing role of the Russian Federation in the global energy and food markets, as well as in the global maritime logistics, blocks the United States and its NATO allies, forcing them to pursue an aggressive course and militarize the Arctic. Russia is forced to retaliate by strengthening its defence in this region. The article is aimed at the author's assessment of the processes of militarisation of the Arctic, the authors use the following research methods: structural-functional logistic, historical-comparative. The task of the research is to study the strengthening of the role of the Arctic in modern conditions. The article uses elements of expertise. Strengthening the Arctic security of the Russian Federation hopes for a sensible approach and independent from the U.S. Arctic policy of small states members of the Arctic Council, such as Iceland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, which Washington tries to “twist arms” and forces to strengthen military presence in the region. Moscow also counts on the support of such friendly countries as India and China to develop the Arctic and strengthen regional security in this emerging region. A good dialogue and joint practical activities in the Arctic have already been built with China. Its economy, economic power, and growing political weight as a nuclear power and as a permanent member of the UN Security Council are indisputable. China is increasingly becoming a global superpower capable of really confronting the United States.

ADMINISTRATIVE AND LEGAL REGIME OF THE NORTHERN DELIVERY AS A FACTOR OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF THE NORTH AND THE ARCTIC ZONE OF RUSSIAN FEDERATION

Achieving “accelerated social and economic development” of the Russian North and the Arctic presupposes, among other things, the uninterrupted supply of hard-to-reach territories, to which there is no year-round access by land transport, with essential goods (food, medicine, fuel). At different periods of time, different delivery schemes were used to supply such territories - with a greater or lesser degree of state participation. Thus, during the Soviet period, northern deliveries were carried out entirely at the expense of the state. All experts note the high level of organization, the absence of failures, the wide range and volume of all necessary goods. With the country's transition to a market economy, the implementation of northern delivery activities was transferred to the level of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation. The decentralized model is characterized by disruptions in the supply of goods, their narrow range, low volume and inflated prices. Since 2024, a new special federal law on northern delivery has come into force, and by-laws are being actively developed and adopted to regulate the processes of delivering goods to hard-to-reach areas of the country. An analysis of the newly adopted regulatory documents indicates a return to centralized state management of northern deliveries. Conducting research on the role of public administration in the process of implementing northern delivery and its impact on the socio-economic development of the North and the Arctic is timely, which represents the relevance of the article. As a result of the study, conclusions were drawn that state regulation of northern imports today is the basis for the socio-economic development of the North and Arctic of Russia.