Arctida is a nonprofit organization founded in 2022. We work to reduce environmental and climate risks, as well as risks associated with kleptocracy and militarization, in the Russian Arctic. We also work to protect the right of local communities and Indigenous Peoples to participate in decision-making that affects their lives, territories, cultures, and futures.

Why This Matters

Since 2022, Russia — the largest Arctic state by coastline length and resource volume — has shifted to a model of Arctic development in which economic activity is inseparably intertwined with militarization.

Under these conditions, independent monitoring of developments in the Russian Arctic has become dramatically harder: the space for working inside the country is rapidly narrowing, access to data is shrinking, and direct contact with local communities and independent experts is becoming increasingly risky. At the same time, the international architecture for Arctic cooperation has been effectively paralyzed.

Yet the Arctic’s significance for the planet continues to grow. The region is warming nearly four times faster than the global average, and is becoming increasingly militarized, driven not only by Russia but by other major states as well. Decisions made in the Arctic today will have long-term consequences for the global climate and geopolitical systems, Indigenous Peoples, and international stability for decades to come.

“A sustainable Arctic is the only viable future, and that progress toward this future is impossible without reducing the risks associated with industrial activity in the region, the climate crisis, and global securitization,”

Sustainable development in the Arctic requires real accountability on the part of companies and states operating in the region. Economic activity must be subject to modern environmental and social standards; projects that do not serve the interests of local and Indigenous communities must be rejected; and international cooperation must be preserved.

How We Work

Progress in this direction requires independent, reliable information about what is happening in the Arctic. That is why we collect and verify data, conduct investigations, draw on scientific research, use OSINT methods, and consult expert sources, including local experts.

On this basis, we publish research and investigations, building an independent evidence base and developing recommendations for civil society, policy and expert communities, public authorities, businesses, and other stakeholders.

Where We Are Going

Our first four years of work have helped us better understand where Arctida can make its most valuable contribution to the sustainable development of the Arctic. In 2026–2028, one of our key priorities will be to integrate our research and investigations more closely with advocacy. We will expand international expert collaboration and work to ensure that independent data on the Russian Arctic are systematically taken into account in policy development and decision-making affecting the region.

This approach is set out in Arctida’s Strategy through 2028. For more on our priority areas, operating principles, goals, and key changes, see the full document.