Northern delivery explained

The Northern delivery (Russian: Северный завоз|Severny zavoz) is a set of annual measures to provide the population of the Russian Far North with basic goods (primarily food and fuel) for long and harsh polar winter.

Northern delivery as a phenomenon is due to three reasons:

• Absence of its own production base for most industrial and agricultural products in the Far North
• Remoteness of the main industrial areas for thousands of kilometers, which makes it difficult and expensive for private entities to deliver goods even in the summer
• Complete absence of roads and railways in most regions of the Far North.^[1]

In these conditions, the only possible is the centralized purchase and transportation of goods from the southern and central Russia to the Far North, which is responsibility of the federal government. Delivery is carried out mainly by air, as well as river and sea, including the Northern Sea Route.^[1]

Today, 70% of cargo delivered by the program is fuel.^[2] Northern delivery is carried out in 25 regions of Russia. The main volume of supplies falls on four regions: Yakutia, Chukotka, Magadan Oblast and north of Krasnoyarsk Krai with a total population of about three million inhabitants.^[3]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Что такое «северный завоз» и почему в этом году он был сорван?. ru. What is the “northern delivery” and why was it failed this year?. Argumenty i Fakty. 2013-11-05.
2. Web site: Виктор Новожилов: Северный завоз необходимо поддерживать на государственном уровне. ru. Viktor Novozhilov: Northern delivery must be supported at the state level. 2021-10-14. region29.ru.
3. Web site: Эксперты: северный завоз грузов нуждается в федеральной поддержке и логистических центрах. ru. Experts: Northern delivery needs federal support and logistics centers. TASS. 2021-10-13.