2022 Issue №1

In Russia, the polarization of the centers of human-geographic research is increasing. The role of Moscow as a leading center of human geography is growing. One of the centers of the secondary level, where the research is actively developing, is Kaliningrad. Its scientists collaborate with the other research centers and actively participate in network projects studying the socio-economic geography of Russia. Based on the eLibrary database, the scientific potential of Kaliningrad, and, above all, IKBFU is considered. IKBFU concentrates many economic geographers of the region (4 professors and 13 PhDs in the field of “Economic, social, political and recreational geography”). The article assesses the publication activity of university scientists using some scientometric indicators and presents the main directions of research conducted in 2018—2021. A list of the main projects carried out by Kaliningrad residents and a list of publications grouped by areas of research is compiled.

The change in borders as a result of World War II spawned massive displacements of millions of people that affected East Prussia, ceded to the USSR and Poland. The article examines the migration processes caused by these changes in the territory of the former German province, i. e. in the Kaliningrad region of the RSFSR, the Klaipeda region of the Lithuanian SSR and the Olsztyn voivodship of Poland. The purpose of the study is to compare the conditions, course and results of the deportation of Germans to Germany and the settlement of the region with new people in 1945—1950, to identify common features and characteristics.

It was established that the eviction of Germans took place on the general principles approved by the decisions of the Potsdam Conference, however, deportation in the Kaliningrad region was carried out on the basis of German citizenship, while exceptions were made for Poles and Lithuanians from the original population in the Klaipeda region, Warmia and Mazury. The population formed as a result of the resettlement action in all three regions turned out to be very diverse, with different historical and cultural experiences. Though the majority of population of the Kaliningrad region, more than two-thirds, was made up of Russians, migrants from Belarus, Ukraine and other republics of the USSR were also represented there. The countryside in the Klaipeda region was settled by peasants from Lithuania, and the Russian-s peaking population, mainly from the three Slavic republics, prevailed in the cities. Poles absolutely dominated (over 90 %) in the Olsztyn Voivodeship, but they were represented by very different groups: a fifth were indigenous people, some came from the USSR, and the rest were immigrants from the central voivodeships of Poland. In general, post-war migrations in the Southeastern Baltic significantly affected the development of three specific types of regional identities.

The Kaliningrad region, as an exclave of the Russian Federation, which does not have common borders with the main part of the country, is significantly dependent in its development on the external situation, including the military-political environment. The latter determines the ratio of the military and civilian components of regional development, as well as the military-strategic significance of the region for Russia, the number and composition of the Russian military forces in the region. In doing so, NATO’s policies and activities, as well as the nature of the relationship between NATO and Russia, play a crucial role. The purpose of the study is to identify how relations with Russia and NATO and the expansion of this military bloc have influenced and continue to influence the military-strategic significance of the Kaliningrad region and its defense capability. For this, a periodization of changes in the military-strategic significance of the Kaliningrad region was carried out in the context of relations between Russia and NATO. The author concludes that in the current geopolitical situation, Russia will be forced to strengthen the deterrent role of the Kaliningrad region against a potential aggressor.

Municipalities of the Kaliningrad region are increasingly differentiated in the pace and nature of their socio-economic development in the paradigm of the center-peripheral model. The economic center and the coastal zone bordering on it are increasingly pulling together economic and human resources, increasing the risks of sustainable functioning of the eastern peripheral municipalities. This also applies to the entrepreneurial activity of the population, expressed in the number of operating SMEs. Federal institutions and the regional government are implementing measures to support the subjects of the IPU, including in the peripheral municipalities of the region. At the same time, the analysis of the current situation shows that along with programs to support existing organizations, a lot of important aspect is the implementation of programs aimed at increasing entrepreneurial activity among the local population, mainly in rural areas of semi-peripheral and peripheral municipalities of the Kaliningrad region

Multi-activity special economic zones occupy a certain place among the Russian SEZs and have fundamentally differ from other types of economic zones. The peculiarities of their position in the strategically important regions of Russia determines the special mode of operation, separate federal laws, as well as interest for researchers. This article discusses the multi-activity SEZ of the Russian Federation located in the Kaliningrad region, Magadan region, the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sebastopol from an economic-geographical point of view. Comparative geographic analysis included such indicators as GRP, employment, investment, position and specialization of residents, as well as the characteristic physiographic features of the regions. As a result of the study, the main features of multi-activity SEZ in Russia were identified. The author analyzed the impact of the SEZs on the economy of the regions, residents, their position and specialization, and identified the main sales markets. The conclusion is made about the logical interaction of the geographical location and the functioning of the SEZ in these regions.