War and sanctions are restructuring how Russia governs its vast territory
Russia has shifted its national spatial policy from focusing on large urban agglomerations to supporting over 2,000 smaller settlements. This change reflects the government's attempt to maintain territorial control and essential services amidst the pressures of war and international sanctions.
Why it matters
The shift illustrates how geopolitical conflict and economic isolation are forcing Russia to restructure its internal governance and population distribution.
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AS the world’s largest country that spans eleven time zones and shares land borders with fourteen countries, Russia’s geography has always posed a difficult problem for government: how to maintain economic activity, infrastructure and basic services across an enormous territory with a highly uneven population.
More than four and a half years of war against Ukraine, sanctions and disrupted international connections have made that challenge considerably harder.
One place where the response to these mounting pressures is becoming visible is Russia’s national spatial policy.
In my newly published research with Anton Gorodnichev, we compare Russia’s 2019 and 2024 spatial development strategies and trace a substantial change in how the state approaches territorial planning. These strategies render Russia’s political choices visible: which places are expected to grow, which should be supported, and for what purpose.
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