To Develop North, Moscow has No Choice but to Rely on Water Routes, Pastrushev Says; But Doing So Won’t Be Easy

Paul Goble

            Staunton, Aug. 26 – Given the lack of rail and road networks in the Russian North, Nikolay Patrushev says, Moscow has no choice but to rely on and develop riverine transportation links if it is to achieve its goals not only in the Russian North but in the Arctic basin beyond.

            The Putin aide who heads the Naval Collegium made those remarks this week during a meeting devoted to the development of the Ob-Irtysh basin of internal waterways and the modernization of the Salekhard port in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District (arctic.ru/infrastructure/20250826/1043194.html).

            Patrushev is likely right that only the development of river transport will allow Russia to achieve its goals in the north. The obstacles to building rail and highway networks there are just too enormous. But he faces enormous obstacles in developing river trade given falling water levels, cutbacks in dredging and problems with the construction of new ships.

            On those issues, see in particular https://windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2025/04/russia-now-has-only-50000-km-of-fully.html, https://windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2021/03/length-of-russias-navigable-riverways.html, windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2025/08/moscow-to-slash-funding-for.html and windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2025/06/falling-water-levels-forcing-moscow-to.html and the sources cited therein.)