According to Nadezhda Zamyatina, a leading researcher at the Department of Socio-Economic Geography of Foreign Countries of the Moscow State University Geography Faculty, Nenets Autonomous Okrug is among Russia’s most ready regions “for experiments and the introduction of modern best practices for economic and innovative development.”

Zamyatina says that the region, located in the northeasternmost part of European Russia and famous for bears and reindeer, has historically been very remote, which has allowed it to preserve ancient customs while at the same time forcing inhabitants to creatively approach survival. It might be thought of as “Russia’s Canada” due to its specific combination of a high proportion of indigenous peoples, settlements of oil and gas shift workers and a high concentration of the population in the capital city of Naryan-Mar.

The modern economic development of the region can be divided into three periods: Soviet (mainly agro-industrial), early post-Soviet (venture-funded private oil) and the latest (state-led oil and gas).

Digest written by the Russia.Post editorial team. See the original here.