Land ownership in Russia and the Arctic circle

When people talk about land ownership they usually think of tidy deeds fenced plots and legal rights backed by clear rules. But in Russia especially when we shift our gaze northward toward the Arctic Circle the story is much more complicated. It is a blend of history law geopolitics and sheer geography.

For centuries Russia had a feudal system where land technically belonged to the Tsar and nobles or landlords were granted estates to manage and often exploit. The peasants in turn were tied to the land under serfdom until 1861.

The Soviet era flipped everything upside down. Private land ownership was abolished and land was controlled by the state. Large collective farms called kolkhozy and state farms called sovkhozy dominated the countryside. Owning land in a Western sense was impossible. One could only have usage rights.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 Russia introduced new laws allowing private ownership of land again. But even today a significant portion of Russian territory remains under state ownership.

The Arctic Circle is where the rules grow blurry. Russia controls the largest portion of Arctic territory. Almost half of the land area above the Arctic Circle belongs to it. Cities like Murmansk Norilsk and Yakutsk sit within this polar zone and millions of Russians live there contrary to the common image of the Arctic as empty ice.

Yet vast tracts of Arctic land are not privately owned. Most of it is under federal control managed for resource extraction such as oil gas and minerals defense or environmental protection. Native peoples such as the Nenets Evenks and Chukchi traditionally live across this land practicing reindeer herding and fishing often without formal deeds or Western style property rights.

Here is where it gets interesting. Land ownership is not just about houses or farms. It is about sovereignty. As the ice melts and new shipping lanes open the Arctic has become a hotbed of geopolitical competition. Russia has planted a flag on the seabed under the North Pole expanded military bases and claimed continental shelf extensions under international law.

In short when Russia talks about Arctic ownership it is as much about controlling future oil fields and trade routes as it is about the soil itself.

Technically foreigners can buy property in Russia but there are restrictions. Non Russians cannot own land near borders or in strategic areas which conveniently describes much of the Arctic. Even for Russians owning land there is less about cozy cabins and more about leasing plots for industrial use.

Private dachas in the outskirts of Moscow are common. A private cabin overlooking the icy Kara Sea is much trickier.

Land in Russia has never been just about real estate. It has been about power identity and survival. In the Arctic this reality is magnified. The land is remote resource rich and geopolitically charged. For most people it is not a place to buy a summer cottage. But for Russia it is a cornerstone of its national future.

The Arctic remains more than just territory. It is a stage where history law and geopolitics collide.