BSR Policy Briefing

BSR Policy Briefing 6/2026

Current Situation in Russia’s Northwestern Federal District: An Overview
By Miłosz Bartosiewicz

This BSR Policy Briefing aims to outline the current situation in Russia’s Northwestern Federal District — whose constituent entities border NATO states — against the backdrop of the Kremlin increasingly involving these regions in tasks related to the ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The author analyses regional developments across political, security, economic, financial, and social dimensions, while examining how the Putin regime’s policy of hyper-centralization affects its ability to leverage the authorities, resources, and populations of federal subjects to support the war effort.