September 01, 2021

Virgin Arctic


Virgin Arctic
Picture yourself here. Winter in Levkovka village, Arkhangelsk Oblast. Aleksandra Raspopina

Russia is pushing ahead with a new drive to populate the country’s remote and unpopular fringes. Starting this year, Russians can claim a hectare (about 2.5 acres) of land in the Arctic zone – absolutely free. The catch? Within five years, you must actually use your hectare, by living there, farming it, or otherwise engaging in economic activity.

The so-called “Far Eastern Hectare” program (bit.ly/fareastland) has been around for five years, thought up as a twenty-first century Virgin Lands campaign or Homesteading Act. The goal is to save Russia’s far-flung regions from depopulation and lack of investment. Up until this year, the plots were only available in Russia’s Far Eastern region, and the project has not been a smashing success. Out of more than 80,000 claimed hectares, only 18,000 have actually been put to economic use. That shows a lack of interest, since the program has over 200 million hectares available.

Perhaps to reignite public interest, and to open up land closer to the European part of the country, the program now also offers land in the Far North, including Arkhangelsk Oblast, Murmansk Oblast, and Karelia. On the one hand, these are regions that are more frequently visited from Russia’s biggest population centers. On the other, there is a reason these lands are being abandoned by people that are already there. Just a brief look at real estate websites is enough to find a 12-hectare (30-acre) lot for sale in the Komi Republic (one of the participating regions) for less than $2,000. As one sarcastic commenter succinctly put it on the Arkhangelsk website 29.ru: “I’ve always dreamed of a hectare on permafrost.”


Digital Subscription Required

Get unlimited digital access for just $2 a month.

Don't have an account? signup

See Also

A Nation of Plotters

A Nation of Plotters

Dachas (summer houses) are a concept held dear by most Russians--80% of the population has a dacha, and Russians put them third on their list of material priorities, behind apartments and cars. Yelena Utenkova takes a detailed look at the history and role of the dacha in Russian society.
Le Fameux Nikita

Le Fameux Nikita

A look back at the oft maligned Nikita Khrushchev, on the 50th anniversary of his ouster.
Russians on the Border

Russians on the Border

Nestled up against the US border with Canada there is an unusually high concentration of Russian- Americans. This requires some investigation...
The American housewives who sought freedom in Soviet Russia

The American housewives who sought freedom in Soviet Russia

In the summer of 1922, Ruth Epperson Kennell, a children’s librarian, left New York City for the far reaches of Siberia. She travelled with her husband Frank and 132 other ‘pioneers' who were eager to establishing industrial and agricultural communes to aid the ‘new Russia’.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955