The Eastern Vector – Priority Course of Russia’s Demographic Development

Abstract

The article covers the historical determinism of Russia’s choice of priority courses in terms of its subsequent centuries-long development. Being not only a European country but also an Asian one, Russia has developed into the largest country in the world, gaining access to the Pacific Ocean, expanding the opportunities for large-scale fleet development and extraction of coastal shelf resources. It has grown into the country rich in its natural resources. The necessity for large-scale integration of natural resources in the national economy along with the strengthening the Asian geopolitical status of the country was fully recognized in the Soviet years as evidenced by the successful settlement of Siberia and the Far East. The article states that in the 1990s Russia lost a number of benchmarks serving as boosters for its geopolitical status and economic po­wer. The paper provides evidence that for many decades the life expectancy level in Siberia and the Far East has been below its average level within the country, which remains a major determinant of migration outflows and the population decline in these regions of Russia. The authors present approaches to form the strategy of demographic development with respect to the eastern part of the country. The strategy proceeds from the need to ensure continuous growth of the demographic potential and at the same time to address ethnic, natural, geographical, geopolitical, and other conditions of the regions, which largely determine the specific character of population dynamics, its settlement, and much more.