Featured Publication
Challenges and Opportunities of Achieving Zero Carbon in the Nordic Countries
Sergei Gladkov, Maxwell Centre, University of Cambridge (2022)
This report explores the complex landscape of climate policy across the Nordic region, highlighting both shared ambitions and national divergences in the pursuit of carbon neutrality. It examines how Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden navigate legal, technological, and political challenges on the road to a zero-carbon future—offering insights into national strategies, tensions over biomass and aviation emissions, and emerging innovations such as carbon capture and renewable grids.
Arctic in Russia’s Strategic Agenda: Programs, Initiatives, and Realities of 2025
Sergei Gladkov (June 2025)
This article analyzes the intensification of Russia’s Arctic policy in 2025, highlighting key trends that have emerged over the past three years — including the shift from resource extraction to long‑term institutional planning — as well as the prospects and challenges of its implementation in today’s geopolitical environment. It explores the links between national policies, regional programmes, and the future of Russia’s Arctic agenda, with special attention to their discussion and framing at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) 2025.
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Russia’s Presidential Directive 2025 as Institutional Innovation: Arctic Development under Strategic Pressure
Sergei Gladkov (June 2025)
This document provides a detailed analysis of the 2025 Presidential Directive on the Development of the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation, with a particular focus on its institutional design, spatial logic, and environmental dimensions. It highlights major administrative, strategic, and policy shifts compared to previous directives, exploring the consolidation of state control, the mobilization of national resources, and the evolution of Arctic governance under conditions of international sanctions.
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The New Policy Framework for the Sustainable Development of Indigenous Peoples in Russia
Sergei Gladkov (June 2025)
This document provides a detailed analysis of the 2025 updated Framework for the Sustainable Development of Indigenous Peoples in Russia, with a particular focus on the Arctic context. It highlights major institutional, strategic, and ideological changes compared to the 2009 version, exploring state control over infrastructure, resource mobilization, and governance reforms under international sanctions.
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Rare Earth Metals: Between External Dialogue and Russia’s Internal Strategy
Sergei Gladkov (May 2025)
This paper explores Russia’s evolving policy on rare earth elements and other critical minerals in 2025. It examines key government strategies, export dynamics, institutional developments, and the role of Arctic resources in the broader geopolitical context. Special attention is given to the intersection of mineral policy with U.S. and Chinese positions, as well as recent presidential directives shaping Russia’s resource governance.
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Russia’s Federal Budget Revision 2025: A Strategic Response to External Pressures
Sergei Gladkov (May 2025)
This analytical paper explores the April 2025 amendments to Russia’s federal budget, focusing on the fiscal, economic, and political implications of the revision. In response to falling oil revenues, rising inflation, and shifting global conditions, the Russian government adjusted key budgetary targets, including a significant downward revision of oil income and an upward revision of the inflation forecast. The paper evaluates the sustainability of this new fiscal trajectory, potential risks, and the broader macroeconomic outlook. Authored by Sergei Gladkov, the analysis provides expert insight into Russia’s evolving economic policy framework amid mounting external pressures.
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Reality and Assessment of the Russian Economy in Spring 2025: Data and Independent Opinions
Sergei Gladkov (April 2025)
This analytical report provides an overview of the Russian economy as of mid-2025. It examines the impact of military expenditures, Western sanctions, regional imbalances, demographic constraints, inflationary pressures, and declining investment. The paper also considers the structural transformations underway in response to global economic shifts and domestic political priorities. Drawing on macroeconomic data and expert commentary, the report offers a nuanced interpretation of Russia’s current economic trajectory and long-term vulnerabilities.
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Changes in Economic Cooperation Between Russia and China Since the Start of the Full-Scale War in Ukraine
Sergei Gladkov, Centrum Balticum, BSR Policy Briefing 2/2025 (February 2025)
This policy briefing examines the evolving economic cooperation between Russia and China in the Arctic in the wake of the full-scale war in Ukraine. While Russia has long-standing strategic interests in the region, China has recently intensified its presence, seeking influence, access to resources, and alternative trade routes.
The study explores how sanctions and geopolitical shifts have transformed the nature of Sino-Russian collaboration, leading to deepening interdependence — particularly in Arctic energy, infrastructure, and research. At the same time, Western secondary sanctions complicate financial cooperation and delay major joint projects. Despite this, bilateral trade, especially in Arctic energy, has surged, and new plans are emerging for scientific exchange and transport development linking the Russian Arctic and China.
Impact of the War in Ukraine on Nuclear Waste Management in Arctic Russia
Sergei Gladkov, Centrum Balticum, BSR Policy Briefing 8/2024 (September 2024)
This briefing analyzes the effects of the full-scale war in Ukraine on Russia’s nuclear waste management system in the Arctic. The Arctic region holds a significant share of Russia’s nuclear legacy, including both civilian and military waste, much of which is located in sensitive ecological zones.
Historically supported by international cooperation, Russia’s post-Soviet efforts to manage radioactive waste relied heavily on Western funding and expertise. However, following the outbreak of the war, these international partnerships were abruptly terminated. In their place, Russia has prioritized nuclear development projects in the Arctic, often sidelining environmental concerns — a shift that poses significant risks to the region’s fragile ecosystem.
Baltic Sea Environmental Challenges in the 21st Century
Sergei Gladkov and Léo Pignol, Centrum Balticum, BSR Policy Briefing 7/2023 (November 2023)
This literature review analyzes over 500 academic publications to identify key environmental challenges in the Baltic Sea region since 2000. The Baltic Sea is among the most ecologically stressed marine environments in the world, with pollution, eutrophication, and climate change listed as dominant themes. The study highlights how the scientific focus has evolved over time and provides a concise overview of the region’s pressing environmental issues and research progress. It also points to the growing attention toward emerging contaminants and cross-border policy gaps. The findings are intended to support future environmental governance and research agendas in the Baltic Sea Region.
The economy of the North - and Beyond 