Collaboration between Arctic and northern subnational governments disrupted by the Russian invasion of Ukraine

Abstract

Subnational governments have gradually been integrated into Arctic governance structures, and new cross-border collaboration emerged during the late 2010s despite the annexation of Crimea. However, the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and the ensuing war greatly disrupted multilateral collaboration between subnational authorities. In addition to war-related challenges, long-term problems, such as a weak shared identity, vague objectives, and difficulties in establishing suitable working mechanisms continue to exist. The international turbulence has severely affected the activities of the Northern Forum and led to the end of Barents regional collaboration and suspension of the Bering/Pacific-Arctic Council initiative (BPAC). Meanwhile, the Arctic Mayors’ Forum has strengthened its position as a key regional stakeholder, and a new Arctic Urban–Regional Cooperation Program has been launched. While this suggests that municipalities may be replacing regions as the most prominent subnational drivers of cross-border collaboration, their policy areas remain unclear. The institutional frameworks supporting collaboration among Arctic and northern subnational governments have not proved more flexible than those established by states. Moreover, subnational authorities have not challenged their respective central governments by deviating from national policies.