Arctic industrial development vs. indigenous ethnological environment: a conflict in the Ust-Yansky District, Yakutia

P.V. Gulyaev, V.I. Kondratieva, V.V. Nikiforova, E.E. Grigoryeva
M.K. Ammosov North-Eastern Federal University, Yakutsk, Moscow, Russian Federation 
Russian Mining Industry №5S/ 2025 p. 50-56

Abstract: The article presents a comprehensive analysis of the impact of industrial development in Arctic territories (using the example of the Ust-Yansky Municipal District of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)) on the ethnological environment of the indigenous small-numbered peoples of the North. The primary focus is on the conflict of interests between the development of the mineral resources (tin, gold, coal mining) and the traditional economic activities of the indigenous small-numbered peoples of the North (reindeer herding, fishing, hunting). A systemic analysis of the problem was conducted using the methods of regional statistics analysis, content analysis, expert observations, and sociological surveys. The study revealed a trend of industrial growth in the district (especially after the resumption of tin and gold mining), accompanied by a complex demographic situation (population decline and aging, outmigration), alongside the stabilization of reindeer herding. The key regulatory tool for managing the impact of industry on the indigenous small-numbered peoples of the North is recognized as the ethnological expert review, mandated by the legislation of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). However, existing methodologies for assessing damage and compensation (in particular, Order No. 565 of the Russian Ministry of Regional Development, 2009) are not adapted to modern economic conditions and specific features of the Arctic. Serious problems were identified, i.e. the absence/unreliability of statistical data on the indigenous small-numbered peoples of the North households, accounting difficulties in clan communities, and a mismatch of the compensation payments to the scale of industrial profit and the actual damage to the ethnic environment. The conclusion justifies the necessity for improving the methodology for calculating the compensation payments, adapting it to the Arctic conditions and the realities of traditional economies; enhancing the quality and objectiveness of the ethnological expert reviews, including more serious involvement of representatives of the indigenous small-numbered peoples of the North.

Keywords: industrial development, North, Arctic, indigenous peoples, ethnological environment, traditional activities, economy, mining of commercial minerals.

Acknowledgements: This article was prepared as part of the state assignment by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation under project FSRG-2023-0025, ‘Modern methods of mathematical modelling and their applications’.

For citation: Gulyaev P.V., Kondratieva V.I., Nikiforova V.V., Grigoryeva E.E. Arctic industrial development vs. indigenous ethnological environment: a conflict in the Ust-Yansky District, Yakutia. Russian Mining Industry. 2025;(6):50–56. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.30686/1609-9192-2025-6-50-56

Article info

Received: 09.09.2025

Revised: 27.10.2025

Accepted: 01.11.2025

Information about the authors

Peter V. Gulyaev – Cand. Sci. (Econ.), Associate Professor, Chief Research Associate, Research Institute of Regional Economics of the North, M.K. Ammosov North-Eastern Federal University, Yakutsk, Russian Federation; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0109-2088; e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Valentina I. Kondratieva – Cand. Sci. (Econ.), Leading Researcher, Research Institute of Regional Economics of the North, M.K. Ammosov North-Eastern Federal University, Yakutsk, Russian Federation; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4373-3189; e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Valentina V. Nikiforova – Cand. Sci. (Econ.), Leading Researcher, Research Institute of Regional Economics of the North, M.K. Ammosov North-Eastern Federal University, Yakutsk, Russian Federation; e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Elena E. Grigoryeva – Cand. Sci. (Econ.), Associate Professor, Leading Researcher, Research Institute of Regional Economics of the North, M.K. Ammosov North-Eastern Federal University, Yakutsk, Russian Federation; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9801-7238; e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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