Abstract: The subject of this research is the policy of the Russian Federation in the Arctic. The object is Russia’s chairmanship of the Arctic Council in 2021–2023. The author meticulously analyzes the positions of the state, taking into account national interests and peculiarities of the current international situation in the region. The article examines the domestic legislative acts adopted for regulation of the Arctic Region, as well as international documents aimed at sustainable development of the North. The conditions of collective security dictate moderate and clearly defined policy in the Arctic, which is the central arena for political action with the leading role of the Russian Federation until 2023. The conclusion is drawn that the Arctic Region is currently the most relevant vector of the policy of northern states. Chairmanship of the Russian Federation imposes enormous responsibility on the country, as despite the overall state of security in the region, there remains a range of unresolved issues. The attempts of institutionalization of the Arctic Council may become an implicit threat for the Russian Federation; this is why the systematization of domestic legislation and foreign policy actions on maintaining the health of ecosystem, cultural heritage, and environmental policy have become the priority vectors in the first year of Russia’s chairmanship. The overall responsibility of the leading actor the Arctic does not exclude the existence of classic threats to the security of state’s sovereignty, which requires accurate planning in subsequent years of the chairmanship.

Abstract: This article is dedicated to the examination of identity of the indigenous small-numbered peoples of the Arctic in the context of environmental interdependence. The author reviews the current situation in the Arctic as a symbiosis of domestic and foreign policy of the Russian Federation being northern country. The transformation of identity is an implicit challenge for sustainable development in the region. The subject of this research is the phenomenon of self-determination of the indigenous population in the context of environmental agenda. The author dwells on the existing theoretical approaches towards studying the phenomenon of interdependence. The article aims to prove that the problematic of the identity of indigenous population may become a serious challenge for the foreign policy of the Russian Federation in the region. The novelty of this research consists on the fact that due to the Russian Chairmanship in the Arctic Council (2021 – 2023), the problem of self-determination of the indigenous small-numbered population remains unresolved, which generates an implicit threat to sustainable development of the region from the perspective of foreign policy discourse of the country. The conclusion is drawn that the existing environmental support initiatives through the international organizations and government structures of the Russian Federation and the Nordic countries do not imply direct representatives from the indigenous small-numbered population. The absence of a permanent dialogue results in the unconscious shift towards dependence.