Features of Digitalization of the Arctic Regions of Russia

The article discusses the features of digitalization in the Arctic regions of Russia. The authors pose broad questions: why is it important to develop the Arctic now; what economic interests are behind this; what difficulties are associated with this process; and how can we assess the current level of digital transformation in the Russian part of the Arctic? Based on an analysis of data from the Federal State Statistics Service and forecast indicators for the socio-economic development of regions, the authors assess the current level of digitalization of the Arctic regions of the Russian Federation as uneven. The issue of digitalization requires increased attention in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug and the Republic of Karelia. The authors concluded that the digitalization of the Arctic repeats the features of the digitalization of the country: the digitalization of business and industry lags the public sector and households. The main problems are associated with the large financial costs of laying fiber optic cables in remote, hard-to-reach areas with few residents. The authors believe that the most relevant tool for solving existing problems could be joint investments of public and private raw materials companies in laying a fiber-optic cable along the bottom of the Arctic Ocean for the digitalization of the Northern Sea Route (hereinafter referred to as the NSR), as well as across the territory of coastal Arctic subjects. The authors assess the digitalization of the NSR as vital for the development of this logistics route and as the main and most economically beneficial for the development of trade relations with China.