A meeting of the Commission of the State Council of the Russian Federation on the Northern Sea Route and the Arctic was held in Moscow under the chairmanship of Andrey Chibis. The agenda includes issues related to the execution of orders from Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The list of instructions given following the results of the International Arctic Forum in 2025 includes key decisions that determine the further development of the Russian Arctic zone. Many of these initiatives were previously worked out and proposed by the State Council Commission on the Northern Sea Route and the Arctic. In the course of executing the instructions at the federal level, long-term comprehensive plans for the socio-economic development of the mainstay settlements of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation were approved. These plans include specific measures for the construction and modernization of social, transport and engineering infrastructure, the creation of new jobs and the development of life support systems. It should be recalled that it was at the initiative of the State Council Commission that a methodological study of approaches to the formation of a list of Arctic reference settlements was carried out, a unified methodology for their selection and approval was developed, and proposals were prepared that subsequently formed the basis for decisions of the Government of the Russian Federation.
Alexey Chekunkov, Minister of the Russian Federation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic, expressed gratitude to Andrey Chibis for his active position on the strategic development of the Arctic, the initiative to create a comprehensive presidential-level plan, and coordination of work.
To systematically coordinate the efforts of federal and regional authorities, state corporations and businesses, it was proposed to form the presidential project "The Arctic and the Transarctic Transport Corridor". The project is aimed at the integrated and sustainable development of the Arctic zone of Russia in five directions: strengthening national security through infrastructure development, expansion of the mineral resource base, development of the transport system, promotion of science and innovation, as well as environmental safety and conservation of biodiversity.
"The implementation of the tasks set by the President of Russia is aimed at sustainable social and economic development of the Arctic regions, improving the quality of life of people, ensuring Russia's security in the Arctic, and rational development of economic potential while maintaining an ecological balance. The Government has adopted long-term plans for the integrated socio-economic development of the agglomerations of the Arctic zone. There are more than 500 projects for the construction and reconstruction of roads, airports, housing and communal services, healthcare, culture, sports and leisure. 2.9 trillion rubles will be allocated for these purposes, of which 60% of the funds will come from extra–budgetary sources," Alexey Chekunkov said.
The meeting participants noted that the development of a comprehensive project continues through the joint efforts of federal ministries, Arctic regions, state corporations and the expert community. The content of the project is being specified, its priorities are being determined and an effective management system is being created.
Andrey Chibis thanked the participants of the meeting for their active position and support on key issues.
One of the topics he outlined concerns the northern importation. Following a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, it was decided to increase the volume of treasury loans for the northern import from next year to 30 billion rubles.
Andrey Chibis also outlined a key task for the implementation of master plans for supporting agglomerations.
"We need to step up the preparation of the necessary project documentation so that in 2027 priority measures will be reflected in the list of instructions from President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and in the federal budget," said Andrey Chibis.
Special attention was paid at the meeting to the impact of the increase in the minimum wage on the economy of the Arctic regions. According to the submitted materials, the minimum wage in 2025 is set at 22,440 rubles, however, taking into account regional coefficients and polar allowances in the Arctic zone, it exceeds 50 thousand rubles. If the national average minimum wage is 16% higher than the minimum subsistence level, then in the Russian Arctic, due to the northern surcharges, the minimum wage is on average more than 2 times higher than the minimum wageSpecial attention was paid at the meeting to the impact of the increase in the minimum wage on the economy of the Arctic regions. According to the submitted materials, the minimum wage in 2025 is set at 22,440 rubles, however, taking into account regional coefficients and polar allowances in the Arctic zone, it exceeds 50 thousand rubles. If the national average minimum wage is 16% higher than the minimum subsistence level, then in the Russian Arctic, due to the northern surcharges, the minimum wage is on average more than 2 times higher than the minimum wage. This creates a significant burden on regional budgets, as the need to bring salaries up to the minimum wage now lies with the regions. So, for the Murmansk Region alone, in 2025, the need for additional budget expenditures amounted to 2.2 billion rubles, and in 2026, expenditures are projected to increase to 3.4 billion rubles. One of the consequences is the narrowing of the wage gap between minimum-wage workers and qualified professionals, which leads to a violation of the principle of fair pay. More and more categories of public sector employees, including specialists even with higher education, find themselves in the category of recipients of additional payments to the minimum wage. This creates personnel risks and reduces the motivation of qualified employees.
"Of course, we absolutely support the policy of raising the minimum wage, but at the same time, taking icourse, we absolutely support the policy of raising the minimum wage, but at the same time, taking into account the decisions of the Constitutional Court that were adopted earlier, everything related to the payment of northern coefficients falls on the burden of regional budgets. We will guide you on changing the methodology and additional compensation," said Andrey Chibis.
The Commission considered possible approaches to solving this problem. Among the proposals are the provision of subsidies from the federal budget to the regions of the Arctic zone to partially compensate for the costsThe Commission considered possible approaches to solving this problem. Among the proposals are the provision of subsidies from the federal budget to the regions of the Arctic zone to partially compensate for the costs caused by the increase in the minimum wage; adjusting the methodology for calculating median wages with the exception of regional coefficients and polar allowances in order to avoid double counting; as well as the establishment of a unified wage system for public sector employees, ensuring fair differentiation depending on qualifications and the complexity of the work performed. Additionally, it is proposed to ameAddiit is proposed to amend the calculation of subventions from the Mandatory Medical Insurance Fund so that the indexation of salaries for junior and other medical staff takes into account the increase in the minimum wage without additional burden on regional budgets.
Earlier, Governor Andrey Chibis made a proposal for additional support to the Arctic regions at the Parliamentary hearings "On the parameters of the draft Federal Budget for 2026 and for the planning period of 2027 and 2028" under the leadership of Chairman of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Valentina Matvienko.
The Commission of the State Council of the Russian Federation on the Northern Sea Route and the Arctic was established by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation in July 2024. Andrey Chibis, Governor of the Murmansk Region, was appointed Chairman of the commission.
The meeting was attended by representatives of federal and regional executive authorities, the State Duma, the Federation Council, state corporations and specialized scientific organizations.
/ Ministry of Information Policy of the Murmansk Region /