Antonina Levashenko, Head of International Best Practices Analysis Department at the Gaidar Institute, commented for Izvestia on the prospects of economic cooperation between Russia and the US in case of thaw in relations, noting several key areas for potential investment.
The expert primarily focused on the development of the Arctic and the Northern Sea Route (NSR). "The Arctic is not a single project or a single region, but a vast belt of territories encompassing at least 8 adjacent regions, from the Murmansk Region to Yakutia." Accordingly, it is important to evaluate not only the prospects of point-type objects but also the integration of energy, logistics, and scientific support, as without them large-scale Arctic projects are too risky. The Arctic logistics, including transportation along the Northern Sea Route, ports, communications, and emergency rescue infrastructure are also promising, but smaller in scale compared to mining projects. Currently, the NSR's annual shipping volumes amount to dozens of millions of tons, with transit volumes amounting to millions of tons. According to the Ministry of Transport, in 2025, shipping volumes within the NSR's waters amounted to 37.02 million tons, while transit through the waters reached 3.2 million tons. Therefore, in terms of investment, it is more about investments in ports, icebreaker and rescue fleets, communications, and navigation," explained Antonina Levashenko.
However, the expert believes that data centers in Russia could be the main driver of growth. Antonina Levashenko called this a potential "gold mine," but emphasized that several conditions must be met for it to materialize.
"First, cheap and accessible electricity in a particular area. It is not enough to have power plants somewhere in the region. Clear tariffs, connection guarantees, and the ability of the grid to transmit power," she listed, adding that in many countries growing numbers of data centers is currently being hampered by power supply constraints.
The expert cited infrastructure connectivity and reliability as the second important factor. She believes that a data center cannot operate without fiber optics and channel reservation, without predictable equipment and service logistics and without on-site specialists.
Antonina Levashenko identified the legal framework for data and technology as the third barrier. She noted that under current conditions the export model oriented toward the US and Europe is severely limited: the US imposes bans on investment and technology supplies, while Russia imposes data localization requirements.
"While it is worth acknowledging that such demands are becoming more common worldwide, countries are seeking to fragment their internet space," the expert concluded.