Russia's Resources Research Articles

Experience and Enlightenment of Russian Water Right System

This article provides a comprehensive overview of Russia's water resources, their development and utilization status, as well as the water rights system and related laws and regulations. It begins by detailing the abundant rivers, lakes, and groundwater resources in Russia. The analysis highlights that Russia has a high proportion of industrial water use, advanced water recycling technology, and significant water storage capacity in numerous reservoirs. The article also delves into the main contents of the Russian Federation Water Law, covering ownership and usage rights of water resources, and the legal responsibilities for water protection and management. Finally, it summarizes the experiences and insights from Russia's water rights system, emphasizing the importance of integrated basin management, clear water rights ownership, and the establishment of a comprehensive legal framework.

FOREST FOOD RESOURCES IN THE SAKHA REPUBLIC (YAKUTIA)

According to the “Ecosystem Services of Russia” Prototype of National Report (2016), data on terrestrial ecosystem resources in Russia are fragmented. The purpose of this work is to fill the existing gaps in the knowledge of the biodiversity of plant species and the sustainability of traditional food systems across the economic zones of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia). Materials and methods. Although the range of edible plants in Yakutia counts more than 100 species, only nine species of berries, eight species of mushrooms, and three species of other food plants were classified as resource-significant based on the consolidated archive materials of the IBPC at FRC YaSC SB RAS and the results of the field studies carried out in 2002-2019. This list of twenty species was tested via a socio-economic survey undertaken as part of the RISE project in 2021-2023. The study was conducted with the permission of the local biomedical ethics committee of the Medical Institute of the North-Eastern Federal University. Each participant signed an informed consent form to be surveyed, according to the World Medical Association’s Declaration of Helsinki, which regulates the research involving human subjects. The study embraced 400 rural households. Results. The data on biological stocks of resource-significant food species of Yakutia’s forests were presented based on the consolidated archive materials and results of the field studies undertaken by the IBPC at FRC YaSC SB RAS. Coupled research methods of natural and social sciences were used to produce the estimates of the economic reserves of berries and mushrooms across economic zones of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) and the volumes of their harvesting by rural households and the population of the region in general. Conclusion. Social methods have proven reliable for studying biodiversity in a large-sized region. They allow to fill the gaps in the databases built on the results of field studies, particularly in terms of popularity and, accordingly, the prevalence of certain food species. The higher productivity and diversity of flora in Southern Yakutia were confirmed compared to the Arctic and other economic zones. Funding. The reported study was performed under the e-Asia Climate Call and funded by RFBR, project number 21-55-70104, and project VI.52.1.8. “Theoretical and applied aspects of investigation the diversity of the vegetation of Northern and Central Yakutia (East Siberia)” 0376-2016-0001; registration number АААА-А17-117020110056-0.

On establishing a benchmark crude in the Russian Arctic

The article analyzes the prospects for establishing Russian benchmark crude based on the arctic blend “Vostok Oil” with a price basis in Murmansk. The relevance of the study is conditioned by the importance of the pricing system’s transparency for maintaining a stable macroeconomic situation in Russia, with a leading role of Artic oil and gas potential for Russian economic development. The authors highlight the main signs of the modern pricing system’s crisis and note that amid the imposed anti-Russian sanctions pricing at European spot hubs can no longer reflect the real situation in the Russian oil market. As a result, there is a need to create a national pricing system by developing the Russian benchmark based on the crude oil blend with the dominance of “black gold” from the Vostok Oil project, which has a high-expected liquidity. The port of Murmansk, being distinguished by unique technical characteristics and access to the logistics potential of the Northern Sea Route, is proposed as a price basis and a price hub. The article presents a four-stage model for launching a corresponding futures contract on SPIMEX, which will help improve the exchange trading system for energy resources in Russia and increase the popularity of the Russian Arctic benchmark crude in the global oil market. In conclusion, the authors underline that the creation of a new benchmark and the launch of futures will ensure stability, transparency and independence of Russian oil exports.

Features of taxation of rational environmental management as a factor of sustainable growth in Russia

The article is devoted to the study of the problems of fiscal regulation of the rational use of natural resources to achieve the goals of sustainable economic growth and improve the quality of life of the population. According to official statistics, it should be noted that it is difficult to identify individual problems on the impact of direct taxation of the use of natural resources on the effectiveness of environmental management in Russia. Great practical importance in theoretical and applied economics is attached to strengthening the environmental component in taxation. The purpose of the study was to analyze the prospects for the development of the implemented directions of the tax policy of rational environmental management to ensure the environmental safety of Russia. In modern tax systems, a separate aspect highlights the directions of tax regulation of the use of natural resources, providing a fiscally significant effect on budget revenues at all levels and increasing the environmental potential of rational environmental management. Various general scientific methods were used in the research process, including: abstract-logical, comparative analysis, generalization, as well as tabular and graphical methods. When studying the practical experience of tax regulation of effective environmental management, SWOT analysis methods, as well as variable and trend analysis are used. The authors provide a systematic analysis of the practice of ensuring budget revenues of the subjects of the Russian Federation and their compliance with the policy of rational environmental management, as well as determining the causal relationship of the considered features of taxation of the use of natural resources in Russia. The procedure for taxation of environmental management is important for the formation of fiscal sustainability and ensuring high efficiency of tax policy in the field of rational environmental management. The state policy of taxation of environmental management should be based on the principle of preserving the interest of investors in investments in environmental protection measures, providing tax incentives and preferences for the introduction of new waste-free production technologies. The prospects for further development of tax regulation of effective environmental management should be aimed at activating public-private partnerships by stimulating private investment in the creation of new and modernization of existing assets of the "green" economy, as well as optimizing environmental monitoring.

Совершенствование методологии управления пространственными ресурсами России в условиях цифровизации

The relevance of the work is due to the need to rethink the methodology of managing Russia's spatial resources in connection with the emergence of new problems caused by adverse circumstances of internal and external order and the provision of new opportunities for the development of science and technology. The subject of the research is the theory and methodology of the use of spatial resources in Russia. The purpose of the work is to clarify the conditions for the development of organizational and economic solutions for the use of spatial resources in Russia in the context of digitalization. It is established that the methodology of spatial resource management requires rethinking due to the increased influence of previously existing factors and the emergence of new opportunities associated with the digitalization of public administration, the economy, and the social sphere. The paper determines that in order to solve the problems of spatial development of the socio-ecological and economic system of the region, it is necessary to assess the quality of the economic space, taking into account the fact that in the era of digitalization, digital technologies have changed the conditions for using space, expressed in the emergence of new types of economic activities, new ways of trade and employment, etc. It is proved that effective public participation in the use of spatial resources is important in combination with the use of new tools for innovative interaction —network institutions, benchmarking of territories, branding of territories. It is concluded that an effective spatial planning system should have not only structural integrity, but also functional continuity and additivity. Moreover, when forming and implementing socio-economic development strategies at the macroeconomic, regional and municipal levels, the internal and external (positive and negative) effects of the use of spatial resources should be taken into account.

Modern practice of algal resources exploitation in the Russian Federation: trends and opportunities

The article deals with the prospects of economic use of algae resources, which have unique biochemical properties and are valuable raw materials for many areas of industrial activity. The relevance of this topic is due to the fact that, despite the high adaptive capacity and almost ubiquitous distribution of algal resources, their economic potential is not fully realized, and this area of the economy is very promising for scientific research. Analysis of available literature showed that in spite of obvious perspectives of expanding sphere of algae resources use, Russian businessmen still leave without proper attention possibilities of algae use as raw material for different industrial processes. At the same time, the Far Eastern and Northern sea areas with particularly rich reserves of algae resources, which are very promising from the point of view of their economic development, have now been identified. The examples presented in this paper demonstrate the high potential prospects for expanding the economic use of algae resources in Russia.

Arctic multiuniversity: “Polar bank” of Russia’s intellectual capital in the context of modern threats and risks

The article is devoted to the problems of transformation of the domestic educational space of the knowledge economy of the digital socio-economic structure considering modern threats and risks. The study purpose is to form and substantiate the author’s system paradigm of network multiuniversitates for training personnel in the interests of sustainable development of the Arctic zone of the Russia and ensuring national security of the country. The authors substantiate the need for an interdisciplinary and practice-oriented transition to a multi-university network organization of universities for the sustainable development of human resources in Russia. The problematic issues that require special attention and urgent resolution in the field of personnel training for the sustainable development of the Arctic region are identified. The conceptual-theoretical and scientific-methodological foundations of the transformation of the domestic educational space in the interests of harmonization of relations between the market and the state, the individual and society are presented. As an object of the field experiment, it is proposed to create an Arctic multiuniversity as a “Polar Bank” of Russia’s intellectual capital. If the proposed field experiment is successful, the accumulated experience can be spread throughout Russia as an example of recreating the science cities of the digital knowledge economy. The authors used general and particular methods of unity research in contrast to natural sciences and humanities. The research methodology is based on the key provisions of risk theory, the theory of eco-oriented innovative development, taking into account the ecological imperative of technological development.

Биоэнергетические и репродукционные насаждения настоящих тополей в Центральном Черноземье России

The need to use fast-growing tree for bioenergy production was noted in the international and domestic press in the second half of the 20th century. In the first twenty years of the current century in a number of countries this problem has not only acquired research character, but also found a practical solution. The results of the research of true poplars (black, balsamic and their hybrids) on newly established field experiments in the Central Black Earth Region of the Russian Federation are considered. The aim of the research is to study and select promising forms of true poplars. Two types of experimental plots were established: variety testing plots and collection-stool bed plantations for reproduction of promising clones and varieties. The rooting ability, safety and growth in height were monitored on variety testing plots, and the yield of planting material (stem cuttings) was determined on reproductive collection-stool bed plantations. The best results on growth were noted on 2-year variety testing site facilities of LLC "United Nurseries" and carbon polygon of Voronezh State Forestry University named after G.F. Morozov in Voronezh region. Several fast-growing clones and varieties of true poplars at juvenile age were identified here. Among them we can mention P. trichocarpa No. 84, euramerican cultivar Sacrau-59, hybrids E.s.-38, and Version. Their average heights ranged from 359±21.5 to 416±12.7 cm, and maximum heights ranged from 435 to 495 cm. The best results in growing reproductive material were obtained at the collection-stool bed plantation of the Kulikovsky Forestry of the Lipetsk Forestry Department. Among annual plants the best growth results were found in the poplars trichocarpa No. 84 (183 cm), deltoides (149 cm), Marylandica (147 cm), simonii (133 cm) and E.s.-38 (157 cm). Among the annual shoots grown on three-year-old roots, Sacrau-59 (340 cm), E.s.-38 and deltoides (240 cm each), Marilandica' (230 cm) and Version (200 cm) were superior to the others in height. In general, the yield of standard stem cuttings from annual plants on 1-year-old roots was about 16 thousand pieces/ha and from annual plants on 3-year-old roots – 78 460 pieces/ ha. The clones and varieties mentioned above can be recommended for creation of bioenergy plantations in the Central Black Earth region of the Russian Federation. The first obtained results of these studies are promising in terms of rational use of renewable energy resources in Russia. For citation: Tsarev A.P., Tsareva R.P., Tsarev V.A., Evlakov P.M. Bioenergetic and Reproductive Plantations of True Poplars Species in the Central Black Earth Region of Russia. Lesnoy Zhurnal = Russian Forestry Journal, 2023, no. 5, pp. 75–89. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.37482/0536-1036-2023-5-75-89

Debunking the autocratic fallacy? Improving public goods delivery in Russia

AbstractRussia's invasion of Ukraine has not only deeply challenged Russia's international standing but has also endangered its fragile domestic order. Data from the 2022 Berggruen Governance Index reveals that overall state capacity has been stagnating at a fairly low level since the beginning of the millennium, while democratic accountability has been declining steadily and profoundly. In contrast, the provision of public goods has strongly increased during the same period. This puts the assumption of the ‘autocratic fallacy’—the idea that sustained public goods delivery relies on democratic accountability in the long run—to the test. We argue that Russia's resource abundance allowed for the maintenance of a regime‐supporting social contract with the population. However, the basis of that contract has changed significantly due to economic decline, fired by, among other factors, several waves of sanctions and the costs of war and will press the Russian government to find urgent solutions to sustain a high level of public goods provision under such unfavourable conditions.

ПОТЕНЦИАЛ КРЕДИТНО-ФИНАНСОВОЙ СИСТЕМЫ СУБЪЕКТОВ РОССИЙСКОЙ ФЕДЕРАЦИИ

The relevance of the topic is due to the fact that for any state, the development of the financial and credit system is an important factor determining economic growth, expanding potential opportunities and improving the standard of living of the population. The development of the financial system in Russia takes place in the context of complex macroeconomic changes, which are associated with both the global processes of adjusting the conditions of economic activity, and with the internal problems of stagnation of national economic development. The purpose of the research is to assess the potential of the credit and financial system at the level of the regions of the Russian Federation. Methodology. The methodological basis of the research was the dialectical method. The systemic and institutional approaches, analytical, cartographic and statistical methods were also applied in the work. Results. The financial and credit potential of regions is formed in the course of activity and development of state, municipal, corporate and private financial organizations, and household budgets. There is a lack of financial resources in Russia, which has a huge impact on the development of financial relations between economic entities. As a result of the assessment the following groups of Russia’s regions are identified by the potential of the credit and financial system: regions with high, medium, below average and low potential of the credit and financial sector. Conclusions. The regional structure of the Russian Federation is characterized by differentiated groups of regions. They differ in the scale of financial and credit potential in the sectoral context. The leaders are large financial centres (Moscow and St. Petersburg), regions with raw material exports (the Khanty-Mansi autonomous district, the Tyumen region, the Yamalo-Nenets autonomous district) and some industrial regions (the Republics of Bashkortostan and Tatarstan, the Perm Krai, the Samara and Sverdlovsk oblasts). Agrarian regions have the least financial potential, with the exception of the Krasnodar Krai.

Use of digital twins in automotive industry: Russian and foreign experience

Aim. To determine the breadth of application of digital twins in the automotive industry in Russia and abroad, and to compare the level of implementation of innovative technology in production.Tasks. To consider the general issues of digitalization of the automotive industry and the tools by which it is carried out, including such a tool as a digital twin; to characterize the problem issues that need to be solved in the production of cars with digital twins; based on the analysis of examples of digital twins in the automotive industry in Russia and foreign countries to show the level of technology development and advantages of its use.Methods. The objectives were solved by using empirical research methods, in particular based on the study of various sources of information, including the scientific works of researchers, as well as the analysis of the data obtained with subsequent conclusions.Results. Along with many other effective tools of digitalization, the digital twin helps enterprises from the automotive industry to reach a new technological level of development, optimizing production processes and increasing the competitiveness of manufactured products and companies. There are several facets of digital twin technology that enable critical tasks at every stage of vehicle design, production and testing, while reducing time and material costs. The technology is gradually beginning to be used in leading car manufacturing companies, both in Russia and abroad. Especially effective is the use of digital twins in the production of electric cars.Conclusions. Digital twins serve as an effective tool for the digitalization of the automotive industry, allowing to reduce costs and time spent on product development and production, as well as on various vehicle tests. In addition, due to the use of technology, manufacturers have the opportunity to identify new ways to improve products, expand the model range, and improve safety and comfort for customers. Due to these advantages, the technology is actively being introduced in the production of foreign and domestic cars. However, in the absence of all necessary resources in Russia, the production of cars using digital twins is not as active as in other countries.

Influence of Different Packages and Storage Temperatures on the Quality of Edible Allium Species

Allium resources in Russia are a potential source of genes for expanding the genetic base of agricultural crops. The leaves of Allium crops have a short freshness period and quickly deteriorate due to spoilage and loss of water. The aim of the work was to establish the yield and change in the quality of green leaves of Allium species introduced into the Moscow region during short-term storage, depending on the type of packaging, storage period, and temperature. Research methods: introduction and mobilization of existing plant genetic collection of representatives of the genus Allium L. was carried out as part of the implementation of the State task. Four to five-year-old plants of four species (A. altyncolicum, A. chyatophorum, A. nutans and A. turkestanicum) were grown on the collection plot of perennial onions of VNIIO, a branch of the FGBNU FNTSO. In the conditions of the Moscow region, the yield per leaf generation varied from 2.7 kg/m2 (A. altyncolicum) to 4.9 kg/m2 (A. cyathophorum). The maximum yield of marketable products was noted in hermetically sealed plastic bags when stored for 10 days at a temperature of +6 to +8 °C in a refrigerator with controlled conditions: A. turkestanicum—70.0%, A. cyathophorum—75.5%, A. altyncolicum—84.9%, A. nutans—92.9%. The maximum content of vitamin C during storage in hermetic bags with a density of 100 μm was found in A. altyncolicum (37.1 mg per 100 g) and A. nutans (42 mg per 100 g). A slight increase in the amount of sugars after storage for 10 days was noted in species with a linear leaf shape when stored in a polymer box. Temperature control is the most effective approach to extending the shelf life of fresh green leaves by measuring their weight loss and vitamin C.

Transformation of the Participation of Foreign Companies in the Sphere of Russian Subsoil Use

The collapse of the Soviet Union marked the termination of the rigid distribution system of subsurface user quotas, based on the planned indicators of mineral extraction provided by the command economy. Since the beginning of the 1990s, active involvement of foreign companies in the field of subsoil use has begun in our country. The purpose of this process was to use foreign investments, specialists and equipment to develop a profitable and in-demand industry. However, joint ventures and projects of that time, unfortunately, often harmed the national interests of the Russian Federation. In the early 2000s, the active improvement of Russian legislation in the field of subsoil use, land relations and environmental safety began. This was due to both issues of Russia’s economic security and the need to respond to unfriendly policies from a number of Western states.The special military operation on 02/24/2022 and the subsequent sanctions by many world states against the Russian Federation forced the domestic legislator to radically change the approach to granting the right to use mineral resources in Russia. As part of counter-sanctions and actions to protect the Russian economy, foreign companies’ access to the Russian subsoil was actually closed. In addition, all foreign companies were obliged to re-register in accordance with Russian legislation or leave the Russian market, abandoning their assets in favor of domestic companies. In such a situation, a thorough analysis and assessment of the legality of the actions of the Russian authorities is necessary, which many Western countries have already hastened to call nothing else than the nationalization of foreign assets.

RIFT DEPRESSIONS AS A PROSPECTIVE HYDROCARBON PRODUCTION FACILITY IN THE TERRITORY OF TRANSBAIKALIA

Currently, commercial production of hydrocarbons in Russia has the widest geography. This allows most entities to extract and process hydrocarbon raw materials in quantities necessary for uninterrupted economic activity and ensuring socio-economic stability. One of the few regions in which there is an insufficiently studied resource base, but at the same time there are completely no oil and gas production facilities introduced into industrial development, is Transbaikalia. This situation has led to the fact that this region is almost completely dependent on the supply of petroleum products from outside, which requires additional capital costs for the placement and maintenance of the strategic reserve of already processed raw materials, as well as the organization of uninterrupted supplies and its subsequent distribution throughout the region. One of the most poorly studied types of geological objects containing a fairly large amount of hydrocarbon resources in Russia is the intermountain rift genesis basins. It is known that the main resources of hydrocarbon raw materials in the territory of Transbaikalia are confined to just this type of facilities, the account of which goes to dozens. Such rift troughs are Mesozoic in age, and their resource potential can be hundreds of millions of tons of oil equivalent. Therefore, interest in this type of objects and their further study looks natural. In the future, hydrocarbon production at such facilities can amount to hundreds of thousands and even millions of tons of oil equivalent, which makes them extremely important not only in terms of increasing the level of oil production in general, but also as a determining factor in increasing the level of energy security of the entire region.

Novel Sources of Resistance to Stagonospora nodorum and Role of Effector-Susceptibility Gene Interactions in Wheat of Russian Breeding

Virulence factors of the pathogen Stagonospora nodorum Berk. are numerous necrotrophic effectors (NEs) (SnTox), which interact with the products of host susceptibility genes (Snn), causing the development of the disease. In this study, 55 accessions of bread spring and winter wheat were screened for sensitivity to NEs SnToxA, SnTox1, and SnTox3 using different isolates of S. nodorum. In the studied panel of wheat, 47 accessions were modern commercial cultivars grown in Russia and 8 cultivars were historic wheat accessions from the N. I. Vavilov Institute of Plant Genetic Resources in Russia. In general, our wheat panel differed from other wheat collections with available data in that it was less sensitive to SnToxA and SnTox3, and more sensitive to SnTox1. Six sources of strong SNB resistance were identified in our wheat panel. In addition, during the study, wheat cultivars were identified as appropriate objects in which to study the different effects of SnTox-Snn interactions, which is important for marker-assisted selection for SNB resistance. The current study has shown, for the first time, that the expression level of Snn1 and Tsn1 susceptibility genes and the disease severity of the different wheat cultivars are interconnected. Future work should focus on the deep characterization of SnTox-Snn interactions at the molecular level.

ЗЕМЕЛЬНЫЕ РЕСУРСЫ И ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКОЕ РАЗВИТИЕ РЕГИОНА

The Russian Federation had and continues to have the largest national land wealth in the world, which can be a solid basis for solving the country’s urgent socio-economic problems. In turn, the existing system of territorial planning does not fully take into account the trends and problems of land development. The article analyzes the processes of evolution of the use of land resources in Russia, which showed institutional limitations and the absence of a modern concept, including the definition of tasks, goals, principles of implementation, methods and directions of regulatory influence. In this regard, the article proves the importance of creating and developing a territorial system of land resources to ensure the expanded reproduction of the functionality of land resources and the most efficient balanced use of land resources not only as an economic resource and an object of market relations, but also in the interests of maximizing the satisfaction of current and future needs of society. In order to solve these problems and improve the process of involving land resources for capital construction, the author proposes to create a Land Management Company. The article develops the theoretical and methodological provisions of the Company, in the processes of which the processes of planning and surveying of territories, planning and economic development of municipalities are interconnected, taking into account the balance of free and developed lands of different intensity of use in planning the configurations of urban objects. Based on this, it has been proved that the effectiveness of land resources depends primarily on the development project, the balance of land resources when planning the configuration of the development of the territory, the potential of ecosystem and territorial resources, the assessment of which will allow you to adjust the processes of land management and accept analysis and adopt reasonable urban planning and management solutions.

Religious activism in Eastern Europe and beyond

ABSTRACT This collection of contributions addresses the theme of religiously motivated and religiously framed civic activism by bringing together anthropology and theology. The main goal is to put forward a concept of religious activism as local, non-elitist responses challenging dominant discourses and regulation of the religious in authoritarian and more democratic societies. Highlighting complex entanglements of religion, civic engagement, and political participation over the last decade, the authors explore the ways faith-based claims, acts, and initiatives from below are evolving in public spaces, mostly in post-Soviet societies. The contributors to this collection shed light on a variety of faith-based claims arising around religious materiality, governance questions, and unequal access to resources in Russia, Georgia, Eastern Germany, and in the USA. The contributions also identify the means of mediating acts of religious activism, those chosen forms of public expression that make the voices of religious activists more visible and mobilise individual and collective actions in public spaces.

RUSSIA’S ENERGY POLICY AS A TOOL OF HYBRID DESTRUCTION OF THE DEMOCRATIC WORLD

Authoritarian players, who take advantage of the fundamental principles of liberal democracy in their own interests, can use energy as an effective tool for destroying democratic and market-oriented societies. Russia has perfected its means of influence and a toolkit for the practical implementation of its interests on the EU energy market, utilizing energy to the fullest extent to achieve its foreign policy goals. Involving the establishments of EU countries in energy cooperation projects with the Russian Federation turned out to be the most efficient method. The willingness to lobby for Russia's interests has been stimulated, in particular, by ensuring special terms of supply contracts, access for companies from certain countries to the extraction of energy resources in Russia, and the employment of officials from certain countries in Russian energy companies.
 The exploitation of energy as a weapon effectively neutralizes the ability of liberal democracies to oppose the aggressive behavior of authoritarian energy suppliers. Moreover, individual countries become informal allies of authoritarian leaders under certain conditions.
 The author argues that certain indicators can be used to formalize the assessment of the level of influence of energy resource suppliers on the ability of the leaders of consumer countries to resist pressure. This formalization makes it possible to reasonably approach the assessment of the level of the country's energy security and overall national security based on the influence of external threats, especially dependence on an external supplier.

Russia’s nationalities policy and the country’s Central Asian residents’ identity-based activities

As applied to the Russian case, identity politics means first and foremost a state strategy that regulates the public expressions of ethnicity-based solidarity in a way that prevents them from being motivated by a sense of injustice. With regard to Russia’s Central Asian residents, injustice lies in tacit racist treatment by officials, police officers, employers and landlords. The peculiarity of officially recognised Central Asian organisations operating on the basis of state nationalities policy institutions is that they contribute to maintaining the status quo. They do so through orchestrating cultural activities that reproduce stereotypical images of harmonious ethnic diversity in Russia, as well as by supervising labour migrants. However, there are members in these organisations who do manage to use the resources of Russia’s rather idiosyncratic nationalities policy to fulfil their own aspirations, i.e. to practice identity politics for which the policy is not intended.

‘The Calf Fighting The Oak’: A Fight Against Illegal Logging In Russia

The article presents the results of a case study conducted in a mountainous region in Russia by members of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). It examines the way in which timber businesses exploit certain provisions of Russian forestry law to legitimize environmental crimes. Forestry clearing to deal with diseased timber is permitted, and in one documented case this provision has been used as a license for predatory deforestation. When the WWF confronted the authorities with evidence of the occurrence of environmental crime, criminal law sanctions were not applied, but instead mild administrative fines were imposed that are insufficient to deter offenders. The failure of the authorities to prosecute and suppress acts of illegal logging resulted in social violence. Violent acts of social protest, however, cannot stop the massive destruction of forestry resources in Russia, where criminal groups are well organized and connected to the government.