This work presents the role of spiritual missions in the cultural life of the Far Eastern region (Kamchatka Spiritual Mission), which was established by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1742 with the aim of spreading Orthodoxy and Russian culture among the indigenous people of this region. It should also be mentioned that Kamchatka has received the role of one of the most geographically and socioculturally remote regions of the Russian Empire. The experience of the first Ecclesiastical mission revealed and made clear the key difficulty on the Kamchatka Peninsula – the language barrier, which was later resolved by the opening of educational institutions whose graduates could fully work in the school and church fields. It is noted that in many ways, through the efforts of Hieromonk Nestor, the active work of the Kamchatka Spiritual Mission was revived. In 1908, having mastered several Aboriginal languages, Hieromonk Nestor translated a number of Christian literary works into the Koryak language, also creating a Russian-Koryak dictionary and phrasebook. It is indicated that the significance and importance of Hieromonk Nestor’s projects to strengthen the Russian presence in the regions of the Far East for the state as a whole was appreciated by P.A. Stolypin. In 1911, Nestor handed over to the Synod a project according to which it was planned to create a single Spiritual mission on the peninsula. As an example, the analysis of the material and spiritual culture of the Negidals (one of the indigenous people) is carried out, showing that this ethnic group has not lost such elements as its own language, unique self-awareness and distinctive features of an ethnocultural character until now.

The problem of the research presented in the article was determined by the contradiction between the conditions for the development of inclusive processes and various kinds of restrictions that shape the lifestyle of children with disabilities in an Arctic city. The study is aimed at identifying factors influencing the formation of the lifestyle of children with disabilities in the Arctic city. The research method was a semistructured interview. The sample consisted of mothers raising children with disabilities aged 4-13 years, living in Murmansk and Arkhangelsk (n = 71). The main results of the study are expressed in the fact that the characteristics of the lifestyle of a child with mental disabilities in an Arctic city are determined, regardless of the territory of residence, namely, limited specific children’s types of activities, distancing from peers, insufficient opportunities to satisfy their interests and preferences, receive quality education, socio-cultural and physical development. The low accessibility of urban space for children is shown, which leads to restrictions in the formation of “territorial behavior” and reflects the insufficient effectiveness of inclusive processes. Two factors have been identified as the leading reasons for this situation: the nature of social interactions and the degree of spatial accessibility of urban space.

Horizontal integration of regions is a process of cooperation and unification of efforts between different regions to achieve common goals and solve common problems. This process can manifest itself in various areas, including economics, science, culture, education and other areas. The goal of horizontal integration of regions based on research projects is to strengthen ties, increase the level of interaction and cooperation between different regions, which contributes to economic growth, the development of scientific and cultural exchanges, and an increase in the overall level of welfare and development. The article presents the experience of interaction between scientific teams of two universities - the Murmansk Arctic University and the Higher School of Economics National Research University - to study the influence of Arctic tourism and creative industries on the socio-economic development of the Arctic region. The results of the project have practical significance for the Murmansk region and can be scaled up to other regions of the Arctic territories of the Russian Federation, taking into account certain regional nuances.

The article is devoted to the analysis of environmental problems that arose as a result of the industrial development of the North of Western Siberia in the 1990s. The consequences of active, irrational use of natural resources in North-West Siberia for water, land resources and the atmosphere are considered. Based on the analysis of previously unpublished archival materials of the environmental prosecutor’s office of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug, the author has established that the period of the 1990s had many environmental problems, including those related to the oil and gas production complex and human negligence. It is concluded that the main pollutant in the studied region was oil and oil products. Among the environmental problems, a special place is occupied by the pollution of soils and water resources, the violation of the balance of the ecosystem. Against this background, social problems arise: problems with the health of the population, a decrease in the quality of life, a decrease in opportunities for recreation, nature tourism and recreation; the emergence of additional factors of social inequality and social tension. At the same time, the author does not deny the economic importance of oil production and proposes to more actively introduce mechanisms for sustainable environmental management. The author’s research contributes to the development of ecological history in the North of Western Siberia.

This research analyses Arctic single-industry towns’ pollution levels in order to identify the most problematic areas and develop recommendations to reduce negative impact on Arctic environment. For this purpose, extensive data processing was carried out, which is resulted in ranking of 18 Arctic single-industry towns in terms of pollution indicators of both air and water. The top 5 most polluted singleindustry towns include such cities as Norilsk, Severodvinsk, Vorkuta, Kostomuksha and Segezha. However, recently various actors have been actively working on environmental rehabilitation in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation. Thus, in 2023, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District, Arkhangelskaya Oblast and Republic of Karelia increased their positions among other Arctic regions. These regions hosted large-scale environmental actions, environmental lectures, research and launch of energy infrastructure facilities. Data on major federal projects dealing with environmental rehabilitation in single-industry towns (the Clean Arctic project, the Ecology national project) are also provided in this article.

Against the backdrop of the authorities’ efforts to accelerate the development of the Far East, dissatisfaction remains, an indicator of which is the trend of population decline. The article argues that the growing financial flow, with the same approach, without a precise formula of the goal, without the definition of priorities, will not give the desired result. It is proposed to accelerate the transition from a resource-export model of the economy to a new industrialization. The justification of priorities is based on combining the efforts of the subjects of the federation of the macroregion, involving the potential of the country’s entrepreneurs focused on Asian markets, and integration cooperation with the countries of the AsiaPacific region.

The widest field for cooperation is seen in the field of exploration of the World Ocean, space exploration and in the field of Culture. Such a turn increases the attractiveness of the Far East and increases the demand for labor. It will be necessary to see a different solution to demographic problems. If the State is the main beneficiary of population growth, it is obliged to recognize the birth and upbringing of children in the family as productive work, which is remunerated, counted in the length of service, and provided with a pension.

The stability of a young family is determined by the availability of housing, and the key to having many children is a house “on the ground”. But the house is not financial bondage, not a mortgage, but an incentive for expanded reproduction. The course towards industrialization provides an opportunity for a decent income for the head of the family, the work of women is paid, and a roof over their heads is a guarantee of a stable and large family. And the Far East is a testing ground where a model is created, control mechanisms are polished, and efficiency is demonstrated.

The article depicts an urgent problem of ensuring food security of Russia – development of agro-industrial complex in Far Eastern Federal District. An analysis of current condition of agro-industrial complex and measures of its support is conducted. The position on insufficiency of general and special measures to support the agro-industrial complex in the Far Eastern Federal District is expressed. Specific solutions to identified problems are proposed. The article features the positions of correspondent ministries of the Russian Federation, deputies of the State Duma, the opinions of scientists and experts, unique materials for further research and scientific and practical analysis of problems in administering the Far Eastern Federal District regions. The publication was prepared based on the materials of the round table “On adopted measures of special legal regulation of the agro-industrial complex development in the Far Eastern Federal District”, held by the Committee for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic on February 22, 2024.