In April 2026, the Government of the Russian Federation submitted to the State Duma a comprehensive draft law on digital currency and digital rights, fundamentally reshaping the architecture of the Russian digital financial assets (DFA) market. This paper examines the financial market implications of the new regulation, including changes in market structure and competitive environment, shifts in liquidity and pricing parameters, the investment potential of the emerging secondary market, and the role of digital assets in cross–border settlements under sanctions pressure. The study demonstrates that the new regulatory framework is likely to lead to an oligopolistic market structure with high barriers to entry, while simultaneously creating conditions for qualitative growth in market depth through the legalization of organized trading and the introduction of a digital depository institution. Particular attention is given to the cross–border dimension, with an analysis of the «controlled gateway» model as a financial mechanism for settlements under sanctions–related constraints affecting traditional correspondent banking infrastructure.

Effective and sustainable waste management constitutes a central component of environmental governance and public health protection, particularly in residential areas located along the administrative borders of Surakarta City. Border settlements frequently experience disparities in infrastructure provision, limited supervisory control, and uneven public service delivery, which collectively weaken the effectiveness of integrated waste governance. This study analyzes the implementation of the regional regulatory framework on integrated waste management in these peripheral residential areas and evaluates the institutional, regulatory, and socio legal constraints that affect its practical operation. The research applies a qualitative design grounded in empirical fieldwork. The study collects primary data through structured interviews with relevant stakeholders and analyzes the data using a normative and comparative approach. It compares Indonesia’s waste governance practices with selected international models implemented in Germany, Japan, and Singapore to identify transferable principles and institutional mechanisms that may strengthen local implementation. The findings demonstrate that the regulatory framework provides a systematic structure for integrated waste management; however, implementation gaps persist. Limited public awareness, inadequate waste processing facilities, and weak inter institutional coordination significantly hinder policy effectiveness, particularly in border residential zones. The study concludes that the government must intensify community engagement strategies, strengthen environmental education programs, and enhance cross sectoral collaboration to ensure the realization of sustainable and responsible waste management in border areas.

The 21st century has witnessed a significant shift in the dynamic of Sino-Indian relations, marked by a complex interplay of cooperation and competition. This paper examines the evolving policies of China and India towards each other, with a focus on the political dimensions of their bilateral relationship. As China rises as a global power, its policy towards India has become increasingly assertive, while India with its growing economic and military clench, is recalibrating its strategy towards the people’s republic of China PRC. Geographically, China and India are crucial to each other’s security and economic interests, with shared borders and overlapping spheres of influence in South Asia and the Indian. This study employed a qualitative methodology, drawing on primary sources including official documents, Speeches, and press releases, as well as secondary sources such as academic articles and books. Key developments in their relationship, including boundary disputes, agreements like the 2005 Border settlements, and high-profile visits such as Narendra Modi’s 2015 China visit and Xi Jinping’s 2014 India visit are analyzed. Important works consulted include “The Dragon on the World Stage” by Deng Xiaoping, “India- China Relations: “Post 9/11 Indian Foresight Policy Challenges and Opportunities” by Sodhir Kumsr Singh , “China and India Prospects for Peace” by Jonathn Holslage, “India and South Asia Economic Development in the Age of Globalization” by Anjum Siddiqui The Paper argues that while both countries have made efforts to strengthen economic ties, their continue to shape the trajectory of their relationship, with implications for regional stability and global governance.

This study analyzes community organizations located in the buffer zone of the Jragung River in Demak Regency, which is legally a protected area under Indonesian spatial planning and water management regulations. The primary issue discussed is the continued presence of these organizations in the river boundary area despite clear laws, specifically those stipulated in Demak Regency Regulation Number 6 of 2011, Article 83 paragraph (3), which prohibits development within the river buffer zone, and Law Number 1 of 2011, Article 140, which restricts housing development outside the designated community organization area. These regulations stipulate a minimum distance of five meters from river embankments in areas outside the urban zone. This study aims to explore solutions to these problems. It uses an empirical legal method with a descriptive approach. The legal analysis focuses on the laws and regional regulations governing the river buffer zone, while empirical data is obtained through field observations and interviews with residents living along the Jragung River. Findings indicate that organizations in the river buffer zone developed gradually due to inherited land ownership, economic constraints, strong social continuity with the settlement, and weak government oversight and legal dissemination. While relocation provides hydrological and ecological benefits, it also poses significant social and economic challenges for affected communities. In contrast, river engineering measures, such as river channel straightening and embankment construction, are considered more feasible in the study area because they reduce disaster risk without causing significant social disruption.

A description of two medieval settlement complexes located on the left bank of the Horyn River near the village of Gorodets, Rivne region, is given. The first includes a hillfort and an unfortified settlement in the Zamok tract, as well as a burial mound (currently completely destroyed). The collected archaeological materials allow us to determine the time of settlement by the Slavs in the Zamok tract in the 6th–7th centuries, and the period of its heyday can be attributed to the 9th– early 11th centuries. The second complex is located 1 km south of the first and consists of two settlements in the tracts of Za prorvoyu and Solovyina gora. Archaeological research conducted in the Za prorvoyu tract showed that the Slavs settled this territory in the 7th–8th centuries, and a significant increase in the settlement occurred in the 11th – first half of the 13th centuries. The nearby settlement in the Solovyina Gora tract was formed somewhat later, probably at the end of the 11th – beginning of the 12th century and functioned until the middle of the 13th century. Lead hanging seals from the late 11th – first half of the 12th centuries were found at both settlements. The analysis of archaeological sources allows us to trace how in this microregion the settlement complex of the pre-state period of the end of the 1st millennium is replaced by the complex of the period of Kyivan Rus' of the 11th – first half of the 13th centuries. Probably, at the end of the 1st millennium, Gorodets was an important border settlement of the Volyns, and during the period of Kievan Rus - one of the centers of the ennoblement of the Pohoryn lands in Volyn Polissya.

ABSTRACT This study examines Israel’s evolving approach to civilian border region development, its ideological origins, policy trajectories, and implementation. Rooted in Zionist principles equating border settlement with sovereignty and security, policy evolved incrementally. Yet despite decades of declarations and investment, border regions became conflated with broader peripheries, blurring their uniqueness. Israel lacks a consistent framework to address their challenges of isolation, development and geopolitical volatility. The October 2023 war exposed their vulnerabilities, prompting ad hoc institutional responses that reflect the systemic policy void. Effective border policy, for periods of stability and crisis, is crucial for local and national resilience and development.

This article explores the evolution of residential districts in the city of Kharkiv during its transformation into a gubernial center in the second half of the 18th and the first half of the 19th century. The research focuses on how administrative, political, and infrastructural shifts affected urban morphology, spatial planning, and the structure of housing development. The study uses a multidisciplinary approach, combining historical cartography, architectural analysis, and urban morphology to examine the transformation of Kharkiv from a fortified border settlement into a planned administrative city. Special attention is given to the implementation of imperial urban planning standards, the transition from irregular to regular city layouts, and the formation of key urban axes. These transformations led to the emergence of three major housing typologies: suburban homestead structures, dense central townhouses, and elite administrative buildings. The article demonstrates how the implementation of regular planning principles — including block zoning, alignment of facades, and standardized typologies — helped structure urban housing space, enabling greater functional clarity and social stratification. A significant part of the analysis is dedicated to the role of professional architectural activity. The rise of state-controlled architectural institutions and the appointment of gubernial architects contributed to the systematization of planning practices. The adaptation of standardized projects to local conditions fostered a balance between imperial strategy and regional specificity. These processes are illustrated through archival cartographic comparisons and morphological mapping of residential areas. The introduction of railway infrastructure in the late gubernial period is discussed as a catalyst for spatial decentralization and the expansion of working-class housing districts. New residential zones developed around stations and industrial sites, marking the transition from administrative to industrial urban logic. Ultimately, the article concludes that Kharkiv’s gubernial period established a fundamental morphological framework for the city's modern development. It set the stage for the emergence of spatially organized, typologically diverse, and socially stratified residential areas, deeply rooted in both imperial planning logic and local urban conditions.

In 1931, the von Hochberg family, one of the wealthiest aristocratic families in Europe, filed a discrimination complaint against the Polish government at the League of Nations. At the heart of their petition was the accusation that tax authorities unfairly calculated monies owed in a bid to take over and ‘Polonise’ the von Hochberg-owned businesses, collectively called ‘the Pless administration’. However, these ventures operated both in Poland and in Germany. The Pless administration became a multinational enterprise under postwar border settlements and new convoluted domestic and international legal environments. This article shows that the Polish government, far from trying to force a takeover, was trying hard to keep the von Hochberg businesses functioning and productive during the depths of the Great Depression. Polish government officials understood the economic value of supporting the Pless administration and ensuring that von Hochberg would continue to pay his thousands of employees. This tax evasion scandal reveals a new understanding of interwar Poland’s complex relationship to foreign capital investment and – in a broader contribution to business history – adds a revealing corrective to the history of international tax governance. Moreover, I argue that multinational enterprises – because of their fractured nature – possess advantages over the states that attempt to benefit from their commercial activities.

The article is devoted to the consideration of an integral component of the traditional daily ration of Ukrainians of East PodolianPrydnistrovia – dishes from corn flour and grits, known as a mandatory food for every day during the late 19th – mid 20th centuries, and some of them (for food variety) are still cooked. The work is based on the analysis of ethnographic works, published sources and the corpus of own field materials (interviews with respondents), recorded during the expeditions to the border settlements of Vinnytsia and the north of Odesa regions in 2013–2016. The author is describing the features of cooking the most common corn products – mamalyha and malai. The gastronomic difficulties of life support under extreme circumstances are considered partially. In particular, attention is focused on the consumption in the region of baderevka and badevka, those are rather modest in terms of nutrition boiled liquid soups with corn flour, and which saved Ukrainians during the difficult times of the post-war famine of 1946–1947. The materials of the conducted research have made it possible to confirm the generalizations of ethnologists-researchers of the Ukrainian-Moldovan borderlands and our preliminary conclusions (based on the study of other components of the life-support system) that in the space of the ethno-contact zone (in particular, in the Transdnistrian territories of Eastern Podillia) a typical ethno-specific food complex partially loses its differentiating function and acquires a special format that combines similar or jointly created ethnocultural practices of both Ukrainians and Moldovans. The analysis of the author’s expedition materials, in addition to the factual disclosure of the subject, also serves as a basis for the spatial characterization of the names and realities of this block of ethnoculture, visualized with the help of a special map scheme introduced into scientific circulation. The concluding remarks outline the prospects for implementing the results for modern cultural preservation practices, primarily in the Vinnytsia and Odesa regions.

The article presents a mathematical model designed to calculate the index of financial benefits for settlements nestled in utopian high mountainous regions, characterized by their near-inaccessibility and proximity to state borders. Unlike existing methodologies that solely rely on hypsometric indicators, this model introduces a novel approach by incorporating the multiplication of individual Complex Coefficients. By elucidating the limitations of current quantitative methodologies, particularly their reliance on qualitative factors, the article underscores the necessity for a more objective assessment of the problem. Central to this model are three key complexity indicators: Height above sea level, Distance from central transport routes, and Proximity to the state border. The article delineates the research avenues pursued to ascertain these complexity coefficients, accompanied by tables presenting magnitudes derived from logical conclusions. This comprehensive framework not only enhances the accuracy of financial benefit assessments but also provides a standardized methodology for evaluating settlements in challenging geographical contexts. Furthermore, the innovative approach illustrated in this article holds promise for informing policy decisions and strategic planning in regions characterized by geographical complexities. By elucidating the intricate interplay between geographical features and financial viability, the article offers valuable insights into optimizing resource allocation and fostering sustainable development in remote and borderland communities.

Both in Byzantium and by the Kievan Rus’, lead seals were used to signify ownership. Their stamped inscriptions and symbols are analogous to coinage and are a rich source of information on interaction and commerce. The Rus’ used them in the 11th-13th century CE as regular seals issued by rulers and church officials but also for sealing a specified number of furs exported from East European forests (creating ‘approved’ pelt bundles; so-called Drohiczyn seals). The latter are concentrated at Kievan Rus’-Polish border settlements, signalling cross-border exchange. Fourteen seals were analysed (Pb-isotope / trace elements) to investigate lead source and the direction of trade. The results of eleven suggest a connection to the nearby Olkusz lead mines in southern Poland (west of Cracow). This new evidence for lead transport from southern Poland to the Kievan Rus’ is of great significance for further research into reconstructing trade routes connecting Latin and Orthodox (Rus’) Europe. It show that trade routes ran not only through Scandinavia via Novgorod and from the Black Sea via Kiev but also laterally, linking Poland and Rus’.

The article is devoted to the study of ways to improve the tactical and special readiness of police officers to counteract sabotage and reconnaissance groups in the border areas and in the areas of active hostilities. The author identifies additional powers of the police under the martial law regime, including the following: conducting joint operations against sabotage and reconnaissance forces of the aggressor (enemy) and paramilitary or armed groups which are not regulated by the laws of Ukraine. To address the objectives of the study, the analysis of the sources of international and national law providing for the use of sabotage and reconnaissance groups by the parties to the conflict is carried out, the essence and hierarchical structure of these groups are revealed, and the objects against which the use of sabotage measures is prohibited are identified. The article also provides a list of objects of the warring parties which, according to international humanitarian law, may be subject to damage. The organisational features of the basics for defensive combat by the units of the ground forces of certain countries, in particular, the Federal Republic of Germany and the United States of America, are considered. According to the military doctrine of these countries, the purpose of defence is to disrupt the enemy’s offensive actions, inflict maximum losses in manpower and equipment, and gain time to concentrate forces in the chosen direction for the offensive. The article describes the signs that can be used to identify members of Russian sabotage and reconnaissance groups. These signs are the following: the execution of certain actions, including conducting intelligence activities, destabilising the situation by committing criminal offences (explosions, murders, assaults, robberies) under the guise of domestic crimes, spreading false information and discrediting the authorities during direct communication with the local population. The tactical methods of combating sabotage and reconnaissance groups in the territory of the controlled border area are highlighted. The experience of counter-sabotage measures by the security and defence forces of Ukraine, one of the elements of which is an ambush, is studied. A model of sabotage protection and its use in the educational process of higher education institutions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine is proposed, which provides for a comprehensive combination of command and staff exercises with tactical and special exercises in two stages and involvement of cadets in ensuring public safety and order in border settlements.

Due to the military operations conducted by the opponent during and after the 2020 Artsakh war, as well as potential future risks and threats, the Republic of Armenia faces the challenge of ensuring the secure livelihoods of border settlements and implementing programs aimed at territorial development. Therefore, raising the issues regarding the resistance of these settlements to possible military operations is of strategic importance and demands immediate attention. The research examines normative and technical documents adopted from both international and local experiences to mitigate the impact of military attacks. It delves into the potential for reducing casualties and material damage by organizing the spatial environment of settlements. Furthermore, it emphasizes the necessity of defining new terminology and formulating key assessment criteria. The proposed solutions can be the basis for proposing a new scientific theory in architecture and contributing to the development of new resistance solutions in architecture along with military technologies.

The subject of the study is the sphere of cross–border payments as a factor in the restoration of Russian foreign trade in the face of sanctions pressure from Western countries. The relevance of the topic of the article is due to the fact that in order to accelerate economic growth, an early recovery of export volumes and preservation of import volumes are required, which, among other things, encounter problems in settlements with foreign counterparties, solved through the digital transformation of the financial sector and the use of new payment mechanisms to alleviate pressure on Russia and its trading partners. The purpose of the work is to assess the current state of the use of digital financial assets in cross–border settlements with friendly jurisdictions. The article finds that in 2022 – 2023, the volume of Russian imports and exports underwent significant fluctuations due to the reconfiguration of Russian foreign trade to the markets of Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America. At the same time, the need to create a safe and effective payment mechanism protected from the negative impact of primary and secondary sanctions came to the fore. The key problems in the field of international payments have become the disconnection of the largest Russian banks from SWIFT and the large-scale blocking of correspondent accounts of Russian banks by foreign counterparties, which can be overcome through the use of cross-border settlements through such instruments as digital financial assets, cryptocurrency, and digital currencies of central banks. However, it is concluded that in the presence of a well-formed legislative framework and obvious potential to mitigate sanctions pressure, the use of new payment mechanisms is difficult due to the lack of necessary regulatory and/or infrastructure solutions.

Border areas are areas that are geographically directly adjacent to other countries. The border area is also one of the strategic areas, where the area that nationally concerns the lives of many people, both in terms of political, economic, social, cultural, and hankam interests. Border conflicts are usually particularly vulnerable if the contested territory has excellent natural and economic resource potential. The purpose of this study is to describe the factors that cause conflict and the urgency of boundary affirmation and describe efforts to resolve boundaries through regulation and non-regulation. The method used is a qualitative method with a type of descriptive approach through literature study. Based on the results of the study, it is understood that the settlement of Indonesia's border with Timor-Leste will be carried out peacefully, without the threat of violence, and with full respect for international law. This article seeks to understand the Indonesia-Timor Leste border dispute from the perspective of international relations. Three strategies can be taken by Indonesia to resolve this dispute, namely military confrontation, the use of formal institutions such as international organizations, and the use of informal institutions namely norms, beliefs, ideas, and values. This article argues that to resolve the dispute between Noel Besi/Citrana and Bijael Sunan/Oben it is not enough to rely on international treaties alone, Indonesia needs to put more emphasis on the importance of understanding the norms, beliefs, ideas, and values of indigenous peoples living in the disputed area. The role of the government in efforts to maintain the integrity of the country's territory through bilateral communication and cooperation can then be utilized by local actors to resolve conflicts and participate in defending the territory.

The study examines Nigerian subregional diplomacy: study of Nigeria’s role in promoting West African Institutions The study focuses on Nigeria’s relations with West African institutions such as the Lake Chad Basin Commission, the Gulf of Guinea Commission and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The authors consider in detail Nigeria’s national interests vis-à-vis West African institutions and Member States. To achieve the objective of the study, the authors pay particular attention to Nigeria’s bilateral relations with neighbouring States and cooperation with African institutions. The study is based on the theory of political realism, which implies constant competition among States defending their national interests. In the process of studying this problem, the authors apply institutional, analytical and problem-chronological methods. The main conclusions of the study are the establishment of Nigeria’s role in the settlement of border and territorial disputes, which enabled the state to interact and cooperate with its neighbours, the importance of Nigeria’s contribution to the peacekeeping of the region, Identifying the stability of Nigeria’s foreign policy towards both Africa as a whole and neighbouring States, analysing the main problems of the West African region, which is the basis of Nigeria’s subregional diplomacy: insecurity, political instability and economic imbalance. Moreover, the authors provide critical analysis of Nigeria’s institutional cooperation. The relevance of the study is due to the growing political and economic influence of Nigeria on the African continent.

Soufli, a small Greek border settlement, presents a widely recognized dipole of tourist destinations, a unique National Park and its silk tradition, including the circle of the relevant economy and its historical-architectural heritage. This prevailing local identity is gradually de-facto structured as a holistic model. Private entrepreneurship plays the first role, other stakeholders being local administration, education, associations and the citizens themselves as active participants. Thus, an open town-museum of silk is formulated, with five complementary museums and collections, two silk factories, an old emblematic factory, in restoration by the Municipality, numerous silk shops, decades of silkworm breeders enterprises, mulberry trees, two public, silk-oriented training foundations, an environmental center, events, International Conferences, workshops and exhibitions by world famous firms, Greek and foreign universities visiting and working on place, in a trans-border and transnational cooperation. In 2021 Soufli was chosen by the World Tourism Organization among the Best Tourism Villages, awarded with a valuable branding, which strengthens its position in the world map of silk.

The article presents the main features and trends of the modern settlement of the RA, as well as the existing problems, the principles and directions of the scientifically based resettlement policy for their solution and the mechanisms for their implementation. The article substantates that in the present times,during the regulation of population settlement, ensuring the safety of the border settlements and strengthening the territorial integrity of RA is of great importance. The article highlights those factors and conditions that determine the new directions of ekistic policy. On their basis, six alternative strategies and ways of their implementation are proposed.

The purpose of the work is to analyze the transformation, differentiation of spatial socio–economic development of the regions bordering Ukraine as part of the Central Chernozem region and their regional metropolises. The results of the study confirmed two types of structures of regional settlement systems of the CCR border regions: Belgorod dual-core and monocentric Voronezh and Kursk with established features of non-metropolitan reduction trends and different vectors of development of border settlement. Dynamics of economic development of the regions since 2010 it indicates a significant transformation and differentiation, a change of leader, a stable nature of the processes of divergence of regions in the levels of development. It is revealed that in 2020 the highest indicators of economic development were achieved by the Voronezh region, the first signs of stagnation of the economic development of the Belgorod region were established, in which a reduction in investment, a change in the geopolitical situation in 2022, the border situation can lead to a decrease in the investment attractiveness of large businesses, a further drop in the pace of economic development, the emergence of instability. The reduction of the share of metropolises in the socio-economic development of the regions, the formation of a new trend – "de-monocentricity" has been established. A retrospective analysis of the population growth/loss ratio revealed a persistent trend of population concentration in suburban metropolitan areas against the background of a continuing decline in the population of the deep regions of the regions. The territories bordering Ukraine are characterized by different vectors of economic and demographic development. The conducted research allowed us to establish the trends of uneven spatial development; the polarization of the development of regional metropolises, non-metropolitan and border areas; the tightening of the population in the regional capitals-metropolises and suburban areas. The methodology of studying the spatial development of regions, regional metropolises provides an opportunity to monitor their levels of development, identify priority problems, and make effective management decisions.

Purpose. The main purpose of the research work is to study the migration features of the population in the northern border regions of Azerbaijan, to identify existing problems in this area and to identify ways to solve them. Method. Comparative analysis, attractiveness of the area, statistical methods were used in writing the article. The northern border regions of the Republic of Azerbaijan were chosen as the research object. Conclusion. Despite the implementation of several state programs from 2004 until now, there is inequality in the socio-economic development of the regions of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Unlike the Baku-Absheron zone, there are still serious problems in the socio-economic life of the population in other regions. This leads to an increase in unemployment and poverty in the regions, migration of the population to Baku. Since the border regions are of strategic importance for the state, more attention should be paid to the employment of the population in order to keep them on the ground. Taking into account the strategic importance of the border position of the northern border regions of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the extreme natural conditions in the mountainous area, it is necessary to give certain concessions to the population living here for the sustainable socio-economic development of the border settlements. The creation of certain infrastructures should be carried out directly at the expense of the state, and for their continuous, constant activity, it is advisable to have these enterprises under state control. Scientific novelty. Demographic development and participation of the population in the migration process in the northern border regions of Azerbaijan were studied. As a result of these studies, it was found that in some settlements, as a result of the decline in natural growth and migration, the population has sharply decreased. The recommendations and suggestions given in the article are important for determining the strategic importance of population settlement in the northern border regions and eliminating existing problems in the field of demographic development.