PORA Experts: Will Robots Develop the Arctic?

January 30, 2026

At a meeting of the PORA Discussion Club, a number of specialists advocated for the widespread use of autonomous, robotic Arctic technologies.

On January 29, 2026, the Project Office for Arctic Development held another meeting of its discussion club, this time dedicated to the technological development of the North.

Alexander Vorotnikov, PhD in Chemistry, Associate Professor at the Institute of Social Sciences of RANEPA, and Coordinator of the PORA Expert Council, led the discussion, outlining the key challenges for the technological development of the Russian Arctic Zone. He emphasized that the Arctic requires new technological solutions ready for extreme conditions, its own certification standards, digital and financial innovations, as well as high-quality personnel training for the sustainable development of the region.

Alexey Fadeev, Doctor of Economics, Chairman of the Expert Council on Arctic Zone Development Issues under the Committee for External Relations of St. Petersburg, Executive Director of the Association of Polar Explorers of the Murmansk Region, and Professor at the Graduate School of Production Management at Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, spoke about digital and unmanned technologies, their integration in the oil and gas industry, transport, and shipping, as well as the need to coordinate science, engineering, and industry for technological sovereignty.

Tatyana Krasnikova, PhD in Economics, Executive Director of LLC «Nauchnye razrabotki» (Scientific Developments), examined technological development through the lens of the population’s quality of life: updating engineering, social, and residential infrastructure in Arctic territories, creating a comfortable urban environment adapted to climatic features, and the importance of local feedback for generating solutions.

Olga Buch, Doctor of Economics, Professor, General Director of the Association of Arctic Project Contractors, drew attention to the role of business and contracting organizations in the technological development of the Arctic. She noted that regional contractors and interregional cooperation could become driving forces of innovation, and also proposed her own measures for assessing companies’ contributions to the socio-economic development of territories.

Andrey Krivorotov, Doctor of Economics, Acting Head of the Innovation Management Department at MGIMO University, Leading Research Fellow at the Institute of China and Contemporary Asia of the Russian Academy of Sciences, linked the key challenges of the Arctic to global technological competition, emphasizing investments in research, economic diversification, the development of «unmanned» technologies, and the creation of sustainable supply chains.

The topic of the promising nature of unmanned and human-free Arctic technologies was raised multiple times during the meeting. Indeed, why should people work in harsh climatic conditions when robots could do it? However, this tempting prospect currently encounters technological limitations. Victoria Pestova, Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Industry of the Arkhangelsk Region – Head of the Department for Implementing Arctic Projects, spoke about a pilot project on maritime unmanned logistics and the identified regulatory and operational barriers, outlining the prospects for scaling innovative shipping solutions.

Anneta Bakh Tsakhilaeva, PhD in Engineering, First Vice-President of the Eurasian Business Association, focused on issues of technological and legal sovereignty, comprehensive threats to the Arctic, and the need to develop monitoring systems, underwater solutions, and strengthen control over key transport corridors.

Nadezhda Filippova, Doctor of Engineering, Professor, Head of an Innovative Research Project on Multimodal Mobility, and Deputy Director for Science at the Yakut Scientific Center of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, emphasized the importance of developing modern all-terrain vehicles and multimodal logistics to increase the reliability of supplying Arctic territories and reduce the costs of the «last mile» of delivery.

Sergey Neustroev, First Deputy Minister for the Development of the Arctic and Affairs of the Peoples of the North of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), noted the imbalance between the technological sectors of subsoil use and the state of social infrastructure, calling for comprehensive planning and the development of transport and energy for sustainable growth of the regions.

Ekaterina Zholudeva, PhD in Economics, representative of the National Agency for Renewable Energy and Energy Saving, linked logistics issues with energy security, discussing hybrid energy systems, backup power sources, and voluntary energy efficiency standards to enhance the resilience of Arctic settlements.

Valeriya Gulimova, Sustainable Development Expert, focused on mechanisms for aligning the interests of regions and businesses, emphasizing the importance of national ratings and standards as a tool for translating social priorities into company obligations and state support measures.

Vyacheslav Maracha, PhD in Philosophy, Associate Professor at the Institute of Social Sciences of RANEPA, the Financial University, and the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI, summarized the conceptual outcomes, highlighting priority technological directions for the Arctic – transport, energy-efficient solutions, distributed energy, biomedicine, and management systems – and also emphasized that the Arctic should be not only a testing ground but also a source of new technological solutions, achievable only through the coordination of the state and business.