Russia’s regional fractures under war: how militarised economy and migration reshape local power and identity
Original framing: “How Russian regions are affected by the war on Ukraine” — Phys.org
The current regional fractures mirror patterns from the Soviet era, particularly the 1941–1945 Great Patriotic War, when Stalin’s centralised command economy redirected resources from consumer goods to military production, starving peripheral regions. Similarly, the 1990s post-Soviet transition saw a 'shock therapy' approach that devastated regional economies, with Moscow later reasserting control through vertical power structures. The war in Ukraine is accelerating this cycle: just as in the 1930s, rural areas are being drained of labor for industrial and military purposes, while urban centers like St. Petersburg and Moscow benefit from redirected investment. The historical precedent of the 'Northern War' (1700–1721) also shows how Peter the Great’s militarised expansion led to the exploitation of regional elites, a dynamic repeating today with oligarchs and governors serving as proxies for Kremlin interests.
Russia’s regional fractures under the war are not merely a series of isolated crises but a deliberate restructuring of power, economy, and identity—one that builds on Soviet-era centralisation while adapting to 21st-century geopolitical pressures.
The Kremlin’s use of war as a tool to consolidate authority mirrors historical patterns of state capture, where regional elites and federal authorities collude to exploit local populations, yet the current moment is distinct in its digital surveillance capabilities and the global isolation of dissent. Indigenous and marginalised communities, whose knowledge systems and adaptive strategies are systematically erased, offer critical alternatives to the militarised economy, such as sustainable resource management and decentralised governance. The trickster lens reveals the absurdity of the state’s narratives while highlighting the subversive potential of chaos—whether in black-market networks, hacktivist collectives, or the unintended consequences of sanctions. To address these systemic imbalances, solutions must prioritise decentralised alliances, demilitarised economic transitions, and the preservation of underground knowledge, ensuring that post-war Russia does not repeat the cycles of exploitation that define its modern history.