Why was Crimea united with the Southern Federal District and should we expect the transfer of the district center from Rostov to Krasnodar? Optimal borders for the Caucasus. Creation of new federal districts Administrative center and largest cities

Southern Federal District can be liquidated, and its subjects "scatter" in other districts. According to information that appeared in a number of media outlets, the North Caucasian Federal District will undergo consolidation, to which the Rostov Region, Krasnodar Territory and Adygea will be attached. Kalmykia, Volgograd and Astrakhan Oblasts would become part of the Volga Federal District. Capital status NCFD will receive Rostov-on-Don, and Pyatigorsk, respectively, will lose it. According to political scientists, there is a certain logic in the reformatting of districts.

The logic lies in unification, bringing to a common denominator the system of government in the South of the country, - says political scientist Sergei Dibrov. - To have three embassies in the south for the presidential administration is too expensive and simply inconvenient. It is much easier to distribute financial flows, having one "watcher" in the Caucasus and one - on the Volga.

According to unofficial information, the staff of the embassy of the Southern Federal District will be laid off and are already actively looking for a new job. It is possible that the reboot of the district administration system will lead to a change in the main "watcher" in the Caucasus - Alexander Khloponin. In his place, some media are wooing Minister of Internal Affairs Rashid Nurgaliyev.

I think that Alexander Khloponin himself is rather weary of his role as governor in the Caucasus, Dibrov argues. - Governing the Krasnoyarsk Territory and a conglomerate of clan-torn and heavily criminalized republics is not the same thing. The appointment of Alexander Khloponin was pure experiment. Probably, for the first time in the history of Russia, the post of Governor-General of the Caucasus was occupied by a person who is far from the use of force methods of restoring order, a business executive and a manager. With Khloponin, a lot of money and big projects came to the Caucasus. But also, accordingly, the large scale of theft. Khloponin's office, in my opinion, cannot do anything about clannishness and corruption. And Khloponin himself stated this more than once. The volume of theft, even if we take official figures, in the Caucasus is still measured in billions of rubles. Last year, according to Rosfinnadzor, this amount amounted to 52 billion rubles. And changing the plenipotentiary to a more “powerful” one will hardly help, since the position of the plenipotentiary is largely symbolic, like the institution of the plenipotentiary itself.

At the end of last year, the government spoke about the exhaustion of the institution of plenipotentiary representation through the speaker of the Federation Council Valentina Matviyenko. Matviyenko expressed the opinion that the embassy missions of the President of the Russian Federation in the federal districts have become obsolete, and proposed replacing them with other structures, for example, introducing the posts of ministers for territorial affairs.

The liquidation of embassy missions is a rather risky step, - the expert believes. - But their enlargement is quite likely. It will also lead to a reduction in the bureaucratic apparatus, which has grown already without that, and the costs for it, and will also seriously raise the status of the subjects of the federation. In this regard, the partial unification of the Southern Federal District and the North Caucasus Federal District is an understandable step, although not indisputable. In my opinion, it would be more correct to join the SFD of Stavropol.

Unfortunately, it was not possible to receive official confirmation of the upcoming transformations in any of the southern plenipotentiaries of the KP.

After the inauguration of Vladimir Putin in May, the officials of the Russian presidential embassy in the Southern Federal District expect large-scale structural changes. The result of the reforms, perhaps, will be the strengthening of the North Caucasian Federal District (NCFD) and the liquidation of the Southern Federal District in its current form.

According to unofficial information from the presidential embassy in the Southern Federal District, it is likely that the Rostov Region, Krasnodar Territory and Adygea will be included in the North Caucasus Federal District. At the same time, it is assumed that the capital of the North Caucasus will be transferred from Pyatigorsk to Rostov-on-Don. The remaining regions of the Southern Federal District - Volgograd, Astrakhan Regions and Kalmykia - will join the Volga Federal District.

The transfer of the capital of the North Caucasian Federal District from Pyatigorsk to Rostov-on-Don will not affect the development of the city and will solve the problem of traffic jams, the head of Pyatigorsk said on April 27 Lev Travnev in Kislovodsk at the international forum "Investment in people".

"The capital is in another place - nothing terrible will happen, it will become calmer on the streets, there will be fewer cars, no problems," Travnev said. He noted that he had no objection to the expansion of the district, according to RIA Novosti.

Officially, representatives of the presidential embassy in the Southern Federal District do not comment on the information about the possible liquidation of the district.

The inclusion of the Rostov Region, Krasnodar Territory and Adygea in the North Caucasus Federal District will weaken the dominant "Caucasian dimension" of this district, believes the head of the Foundation for the Study of Electoral Processes and Electoral Policy, a political scientist Andrey Mironov.

"The main goals of the administration of the North Caucasus Federal District today are to find effective formulas for appeasing the Caucasus and the successful completion of the Olympic project. Both of these tasks are closely interrelated, so they need to be solved by one bureaucratic mechanism. The disbandment of the current Southern Federal District will dilute the exclusively Caucasian political trend of the North Caucasus Federal District, its actual political opposition to the non-Caucasian regions of the South of Russia ", says Mironov.

It is unlikely that the current head of the district Alexander Khloponin will retain his position in the updated North Caucasus Federal District, says a political scientist, head of the Politrus.com expert and analytical network Vitaly Arkov.

"His governorship in the Caucasus turned out to be unsuccessful. The bet on appeasing the Caucasus with the ruble did not materialize. Obviously, after May this year, we should expect an increase in non-economic methods of state influence on the North Caucasian situation," Nezavisimaya Gazeta quotes Arkov.

July 28th, 2016 07:23 am

The peninsula is too small to be a separate federal district.

Simferopol, July 28, 2016, 16:26 - REGNUM The unification of the Crimean Federal District with the South is the end of the transition period and the annexation of Crimea to Russia. ("PP" This opinion is an example of how to arrange a paramoga out of "zrada" and suck up everyone!) This opinion was expressed by the Crimean political scientist Andrei Nikiforov in an interview with a REGNUM correspondent.

“For Crimea, this will have a positive meaning, since Crimea is too small to be a separate federal district. Moreover, it was such only because of the specifics of the transition period. This is another such call that the transition period is over and Crimea is already a full-fledged component of the Russian Federation, we do not need to be singled out as a separate federal district, ”Nikiforov believes. ("PP" Yes! Here is a truly Russian PR performed by a conscious post-Ukrainian!)

According to the political scientist, the unification of the two entities "will bring the shores of the Kerch Strait closer," as it will allow the heads of the entities on both sides of the strait to communicate with each other more often. “The heads of neighboring subjects of the federation will receive another platform for communication, and this is positive. I don’t see any negative consequences, but there are clearly positive ones, ”said Nikiforov.

He is sure that the unification of federal districts will not affect the implementation of the federal target program for the development of Crimea and Sevastopol, since "other structures are engaged in the implementation and financing of the program." “In connection with the merger of the districts, I do not see the need to adjust the target program,” Andrey Nikiforov emphasized. At the same time, the political scientist notes that not the best moment has been chosen for the unification of districts and the resignation of Sergei Menyailo from the post of governor of Sevastopol, since parliamentary elections are ahead. However, the merger of the CFD with the Southern Federal District will not affect the ratings of the parties. "The moment of the elections - it seems to me that this is not the best time for such reshuffles. This will not affect the ratings of the parties in any way, but I don’t know if the positive effect from the merger of the districts will have time to appear before the elections "The election campaign will go on as usual. The authorities are in control of the situation and no destabilization of the situation is foreseen," political analyst Andrei Nikiforov concluded.

As REGNUM reported earlier, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin signed a decree on the transformation of the Southern Federal District and the Crimean Federal District into the Southern Federal District.
"Political propaganda". I will remind those who have forgotten why the North Caucasian Federal District was created with a center in Stavropol - Rostov-on-Don, as the center of the Southern Federal District, could not in any way track cuts in the field of budget funds in the national republics of the Caucasus. Or he himself very actively launched his hand into rollbacks, which didn’t fucking reach the addressees at all. It was then that the North Caucasus Federal District was created and the former governor of the Krasnoyarsk Territory Khloponin was appointed there (who, nevertheless, is "Sholom, Lechaim" and all that according to Halakha), the purpose of which was to increase, as I understand it, bringing funds to target programs, although would be 30% of the total. After that, everyone felt very good and "pleased", Rostov was punished, etc. Then Crimea appeared, which was supposed to draw the newly annexed regions of Ukraine into the newly formed district. The construction of infrastructure began there, which could at least for some time act as the main one in the enlarged district.
However, as I understand it, with the close participation of Surkov, the campaign of the DPR militia against Mariupol, Berdyansk, and so on, there was no longer any talk of any access to Melitopol from Genichesk and the construction of an overland route to Crimea in the Kremlin.
Therefore, today there is no need to talk about any expediency in preserving the Crimean Federal District. And to start a new cunning analogue of Rostov-on-Don in the form of a cunning and nosy apparatus of the Federal District in Simferopol, which learned to "ask for a drink because you want to eat so much that you have nowhere to spend the night" The Kremlin did not get drunk under any sauce.

Administrative-territorial composition of the Southern Federal District: republics of Adygea, Kalmykia. Krasnodar region. Astrakhan, Volgograd, Rostov regions. The administrative center is the city of Rostov-on-Don.

Administrative-territorial structure of the North Caucasian Federal District Republics: Karachay-Cherkess, Kabardino-Balkaria, North Ossetia-Mania, Ingushetia, Dagestan, Chechen. Stavropol region.

Territory- 589.2 thousand km 2

Population— 22.9 million people

Administrative center- Pyatigorsk.

The North Caucasian Federal District (NCFD) is a new district of the Russian Federation, created on January 19, 2010 by a special Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 82 of January 19, 2010 “On Amending the List of Federal Districts approved by the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of May 13, 2000 No. 849, and in the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation dated May 12, 2008 No. 724 “Issues of the system and structure of federal executive bodies”.

In fact, the North Caucasian was separated from the Southern Federal District. The creation of the North Caucasian Federal District should contribute to the accelerated development of the southern territories of Russia and the solution of economic and ethno-political problems.

It should be noted that when it was formed by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 849 of May 13, 2000, the district was named North Caucasian, but already on June 21 of the same year, by Decree No. 1149, it was renamed South. The motives for the renaming were geographical reasons: the Volgograd and Astrakhan regions and Kalmykia do not belong to the North Caucasus. The Rostov region belongs conditionally.

Currently, the Southern Federal District includes the subjects of the Federation belonging to the North Caucasian economic region, as well as the territory of the Lower Volga region (Republic of Kalmykia, Astrakhan and Volgograd regions), which, but the current zoning grid, belongs to the Volga economic region.

The territory of the North Caucasus Federal District is included in the grid of economic zoning in the North Caucasus economic region.

Let us characterize the features of the location and development of the productive forces of these districts in certain territories: the North Caucasian economic region and the Lower Volga region.

Southern Federal District

Southern Federal District (center — Rostov-on-Don) occupies the south of the East European Plain, Ciscaucasia and the northern slopes of the Greater Caucasus, accounting for approximately 3.5% of the country's territory. The landscapes of the territory are diverse - semi-desert and steppe plains, mountain ranges, stormy mountain (Terek) and calm lowland (Don, Kuban) rivers, subtropical oases, snow-capped peaks of the Caucasus Mountains.

The Southern Federal District is one of the most densely populated in Russia. It concentrates 15% of the country's population. The county is one of the most multinational. More than 40 peoples live here, belonging mainly to the Slavic, Nakh-Dagestan and Turkic groups. The clash of dissimilar cultures belonging to different civilizations, the implementation of the administrative-territorial division of the republics, deportation(forced resettlement) of many North Caucasian peoples, hostilities in the region for two centuries - all this, of course, influenced the severity of interethnic conflicts in the region.

According to natural features, the territory of the district can be divided into four parts: flat steppe, foothill, mountain and lower Volga.

flat steppe territory extends from the Don River to the valleys of the Kuban and Terek rivers. This is the main agricultural region, the main breadbasket of Russia. There are practically no natural landscapes preserved in this territory. Everywhere there are natural and anthropogenic agricultural landscapes, in which natural vegetation has largely been replaced by crops.

The plowed land of steppe landscapes reaches 90%. Mostly cereals and industrial crops are grown here.

Due to the fact that the forest cover of agricultural land is a little more than 3% instead of 5-6% according to the accepted norms, the agrolandscapes of the steppe zone of the district have become very unstable, i.e. subject to active erosion (destruction) of soils, silting of small rivers, pollution of water bodies.

The agro-industrial complex of the Southern District occupies a leading role in the country's economy, determines the specialization of mechanical engineering - the production of agricultural machinery (Rostov-on-Don, Taganrog, Millerovo, Krasnodar), technological equipment for the agro-industrial complex (Krasnodar, Stavropol), as well as the chemical industry - production nitrogen and phosphate fertilizers and pesticides (Nevinnomyssk, Belorechensk).

food industry also developed everywhere and specializes in the processing of various agricultural raw materials, vegetables and fruits, the production of meat, butter, flour, cereals (Krasnodar, Rostov-on-Don, Stavropol, Novocherkassk, etc.).

Shipbuilding development in the district is connected with the implementation of the program "Revival of the Russian Fleet", which provides for the construction of river-sea vessels, tankers, dry cargo ships (Astrakhan, Volgograd).

Fuel and energy complex specializes in the oil (Dagestan, Groznenskoye, Stavropol, Krasnodar deposits), gas (Kubano-Priazovskoye, Stavropol deposits, as well as deposits in the Volgograd and Astrakhan regions) and coal industry (the eastern ring of Donbass in the Rostov region) (see map of the atlas).

Oil refineries are located in Krasnodar, Maikop, Tuapse.

Transport engineering(Novocherkassk) specializes in the production of electric locomotives.

Despite the construction of powerful thermal power plants and the presence of hydroelectric power plants, the region is experiencing a constant shortage of electricity.

Recreational complex The North Caucasus uses the unique natural conditions and resources of the region.

On the Black Sea coast famous resorts are located: Anapa, Gelendzhik, Tuapse, Sochi. The subtropical climate, abundance of sun, sea bathing, mud and hydrotherapy, vegetation brought here from all over the world attract many tourists and vacationers.

Caucasian [Mineralnye Vody] region unites the balneological resorts of Essentuki, Kislovodsk, Pyatigorsk, Zheleznovodsk and is famous for such sights as the "Castle of deceit and love", "Temple of the Air", "Blue Lakes", "Dombay", "Blue Stones", the State Museum-Reserve M. Yu. Lermontov.

Ecological problems of the lower Volga. The Volga is the longest river in Europe. Its length from the source to the Caspian Sea is 3530 km.

The modern Volga is actually a chain of huge reservoirs, passing one into another. It is regulated by cascades of eight HPPs. Only from Volgograd to the Caspian Sea, the Volga retained its natural course.

The construction of a hydroelectric power station and the creation of reservoirs made it difficult for the natural processes of self-purification of water in the river. It can detect oil products, lead salts, sulfur compounds. The way out of this situation - the limitation of industrial effluents, the installation of filters, the construction of treatment facilities - has not yet yielded the desired results. This problem is especially acute in the lower reaches of the Volga.

Ecological situation in Volga delta assessed by experts as catastrophic. In its lower reaches, harmful substances accumulate from the entire drainage basin of the river. 8-9 km 3 of untreated industrial and domestic wastewater is annually discharged into the Volga, which is almost equivalent to the volume of the Tsimlyansk reservoir.

Of all the HPPs, only Volgogradskaya and Saratovskaya have devices for passing fish. However, they are weak and require reconstruction. Cascades of hydroelectric power plants reduce the flow of water, which leads to the death of fish. In recent years, control over enterprises that discharge harmful substances into the river has become tougher. However, the content of heavy metals, oil products, pesticides, detergents in the Volga water still exceeds the maximum permissible concentration (MAC). This is especially alarming because the waters of the lower reaches of the Volga are rich in fish (sturgeon, perch, herring, smelt, carp, pike).

Caspian Sea- the largest lake in the world (368 thousand km 2). It received its modern name in honor of the ancient tribes of the Caspians (horse breeders), who lived in the 1st century BC. BC e. on its coast. The lowest level of the Caspian Sea (-29 m) was registered by scientists in 1997. Since 1998, the water level has begun to rise, at present it has reached -27 m.

Many scientists are engaged in the problem of water level fluctuations in the Caspian Sea. According to some experts, the main reason is climatic, and it is associated with a decrease in solar activity and, as a result, a decrease in water evaporation from the surface of the lake. The average salinity of the water in the lake is 11‰, i.e., each liter of water contains 11 g of salt (in the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov - 10-12 g, in the Black Sea - from 17 to 22 g).

The flora of the lake is represented by more than 700 species of algae, including green and blue-green. The wealth of the Caspian Sea is sturgeon and salmon species of fish.

To restore stocks of especially valuable sturgeon fish in the lower reaches of the Volga, eight sturgeon hatcheries were built, where sturgeon fry are grown from eggs (Alexandrovsky, Volgogradsky, Lebyazhy).

North Caucasian economic region

Composition of the district(ten subjects of the federation) - the republics: Adygea, Karachay-Cherkess, Kabardino-Balkaria, North Ossetia - Alania, Ingushetia, Chechen, Dagestan; Krasnodar, Stavropol Territories; Rostov region.

The region stands out among others by the presence of the maximum number of republics in its composition (seven republics).

conditions for a developed economy. The main wealth of the region is its agro-climatic potential. There are optimal combinations of climatic and soil conditions for the cultivation of most cultivated plants of the temperate zone, as well as for the development of almost all branches of animal husbandry.

The region provides itself with coal at the expense of the deposits of the eastern wing of Donbass. There are reserves of good quality oil, gas, non-ferrous metal ores (lead, zinc, tungsten and molybdenum, copper, mercury). There are also significant resources of non-metallic raw materials (barite, rock salt, gypsum, marls, dolomites).

The combination of climatic resources with mountainous relief, warm sea creates conditions for the development of resorts and various types of tourism.

Population. This is the only region of the country where the population tends to stabilize. In many republics of the region, a fairly high natural increase has been preserved, and the territories of the Krasnodar and Stavropol Territories, the Rostov Region are the main regions for receiving migrants not only from the national republics of the region, but from the entire post-Soviet space. The average population density is relatively high - 50 people / km 2.

The ethnic composition is very diverse, for example, it is believed that more than 130 nationalities live in Dagestan. Representatives of the North Caucasian language family stand out (Adygs, Circassians, Kabardians, Ingush, Chechens, Avars, Laks, Dargins, Lezgins, etc.). Representatives of the Turkic group of the Altaic language family (Karachays, Balkars, Nogais, Kumyks) also live in the republics. Ossetians belong to the Iranian group of the Indo-European language family. Russians prevail in the region as a whole (62%), but their share in the national republics decreases from the west (Adygea - 68%) to the east (Dagestan - 9%). Among the Slavic peoples, the percentage of Ukrainians is high.

The urban population is approaching 10 million people, or more than 55% of the total (the lowest in the Russian Federation). The largest cities: Rostov-on-Don (1 million people), Krasnodar (640 thousand people). Rural settlements are numerous. The flat territories are characterized by very large villages (more than 25-30 thousand people).

The North Caucasian region as a whole is provided with labor resources.

Economy. The role of the North Caucasian region in the economic complex of the country is determined by the agro-industrial complex and the recreational complex.

Agro-industrial complex. The region occupies a leading position in the country as the largest producer of rice, sunflower, corn, grapes, tea, fruits and berries, and wool. It stands out for the production of grain crops (Krasnodar Territory provides more than 10% of Russian grain) and sugar beet (2nd place in the country), vegetables (4th place), milk (5th place), meat (4th place) . Almost all agricultural products are processed locally. In some cases, the capacity of enterprises Food Industry so large that they allow the use of not only local raw materials (for example, the sugar industry processes imported raw sugar).

Industry. In Soviet times, the district was one of the largest in the country in terms of agricultural engineering(Rostov, Taganrog, Krasnodar), but the economic crisis has sharply reduced the performance of this industry. Among other areas of mechanical engineering, one should single out the production of electric locomotives (Novocherkassk), nuclear reactors (Volgodonsk), and steam boilers (Taganrog). The equipment for the food and chemical industries is produced in small numbers.

Now the leading position is chemistry(fertilizers - Nevinnomyssk, Belorechensk, organic chemistry - Kamensk-Shakhtinsky, Budennovsk, Volgodonsk).

The electric power industry is mainly represented by large thermal power plants. In connection with the commissioning of the Rostov NPP in 2001, the importance of nuclear power increased sharply.

Transport. The transit position of the region determines the development of almost all types of transport. The largest oil loading port in Russia, Novorossiysk, is located in the region. Automobile and railway routes pass through the region, connecting the country with the south of Ukraine, Georgia, through the ferry with Turkey.

Main problems and development prospects. An analysis of the current economic situation in Russia shows a clearly expressed trend towards a decrease in production volumes in most sectors of the economy. In the North Caucasus, this trend, common to all regions, is exacerbated by the difficult political situation and armed conflicts. The cessation of hostilities in the region, the establishment of peace and stability in the region is the main task of further economic and social development of the North Caucasian economic region.

The development prospects include the most effective use of favorable natural and climatic factors of the balneological resources of the region for the development of resort areas and their transformation into world-class resorts, zones of domestic and foreign tourism.

Lower Volga

This one is the northern part of the Southern Federal District, covering the territory of the Republic of Kalmykia, Astrakhan and Volgograd regions. The region has access to the Caspian Sea. The main branches of specialization are the oil and gas industry. In addition, the Volga region is the main region for catching valuable sturgeon fish, one of the most important regions for growing grain crops, sunflower, mustard, vegetables and melons, and a major supplier of wool, meat, and fish.

. The natural resource potential is diverse. A significant area is occupied by the Volga valley, which passes in the south into the Caspian lowland. A special place is occupied by the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain, composed of river sediments, favorable for agriculture.

The creation of a large-scale industry in the Volga basin that pollutes its waters, the intensive development of river transport, agriculture, which uses large amounts of mineral fertilizers, a significant part of which is washed into the Volga, the construction of hydroelectric power plants has a negative impact on the river and creates an ecological disaster zone in this area. The region's water resources are significant, but unevenly distributed. In this regard, there is a shortage of water resources in inland areas, especially in Kalmykia. On the territory of the region there are oil and gas resources in the Volgograd region - Zhirnovskoye, Korobkovskoye, the largest gas condensate field is located in the Astrakhan region, on the basis of which a gas industrial complex is being formed.

In the Caspian lowland, in the lakes Baskunchak and Elton, there are resources of table salt; these lakes are also rich in bromine, iodine, and magnesium salts.

Population. The population of the Volga region is distinguished by the diversity of the national composition. A significant share in the structure of the population in the Republic of Kalmykia is occupied by Kalmyks - 45.4%. In the Astrakhan and Volgograd regions, with the predominance of the Russian population, Kazakhs, Tatars, and Ukrainians live. The population of the Volga region is characterized by its high concentration in the regional centers and the capital of the republic. The population of Volgograd exceeds one million inhabitants. The lowest population density in Kalmykia, here is the smallest share of the urban population.

Economy of the region. The region produces oil and gas. The largest is the Astrakhan gas condensate field, where natural gas is extracted and processed.

Oil refineries and petrochemical plants are located in the Volgograd and Astrakhan regions. The largest enterprise is the Volgograd Oil Refinery. Significant prospects for the development of the petrochemical industry has the Astrakhan region based on the use of hydrocarbon fractions of the Astrakhan field.

The electric power industry of the region is represented by the Volgograd hydroelectric power station and thermal power plants.

The region has a developed machine-building complex: shipbuilding centers - Astrakhan, Volgograd; agricultural engineering is represented by a large tractor plant in Volgograd; chemical and oil engineering is developed in the Astrakhan region.

Ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy is developed in Volgograd, the largest enterprises are OJSC Volzhsky Pipe Plant, an aluminum plant. The vast resources of the salt lakes have led to the development of the salt industry, which provides 25% of the country's need for food grade salt and other valuable chemical products.

The fishing industry is developed in the Lower Volga region, the main enterprise of the industry is the Kaspryba fishery concern, which includes a caviar and balyk association, a number of large fish processing plants, a marine fleet base, a fishing fleet (Kasprybholod-flot), leading expeditionary fishing in the Caspian Sea. The concern also includes a fish breeding plant for the production of sturgeon fry and a net knitting factory. In agricultural production, the branches of specialization are the cultivation of vegetable and gourd crops, sunflower; in animal husbandry - sheep breeding.

Transport and economic relations. The Volga region exports crude oil and oil products, gas, tractors, fish, grain, vegetables and gourds, etc. It imports timber, mineral fertilizers, machinery and equipment, light industry products. The Volga region has a developed transport network, which provides high-capacity cargo flows.

River, railway and pipeline transport is developed in the region.

Intra-districtdifferences. The Lower Volga region includes the Astrakhan, Volgograd regions and Kalmykia. The Lower Volga region is a sub-region of developed industry - mechanical engineering, chemical, food. At the same time, this is the most important agricultural region with a developed grain economy, beef cattle breeding and sheep breeding, as well as the production of rice, vegetables and gourds and fisheries.

The main centers of the Lower Volga region are Volgograd (engineering, chemical industry are developed), Astrakhan (shipbuilding, the fishing industry, the production of containers, a diverse food industry), Elista (building materials industry, mechanical engineering and metalworking).

The most industrially developed region is the Volgograd region, where machine building, ferrous metallurgy, chemical and petrochemical, food and light industries have the largest share in the diversified complex.

Main problems and development prospects. The degradation of natural fodder lands, especially in Kalmykia with its transhumant pasture system, is one of the main environmental problems in the region. Environmental damage is caused by industrial emissions and transport to the water and fish resources of the region. The solution to the problem is possible on the basis of the implementation of the targeted federal program "Caspian", the main task of which is to clean up the Volga-Caspian water basin and increase the number of valuable fish species.

One of the main tasks is to equalize the levels of socio-economic development of the most backward regions of the Volga region and, first of all, Kalmykia, which has been granted a number of benefits in taxation and financing. The prospects for the development of this republic are connected with the expansion of oil and gas production, in particular, on the shelf of the Caspian Sea. The Caspian Oil Company (CPC) has been set up to engage in exploration and development of oil fields in a number of promising areas of the sea shelf.

Talk about "enlarging the regions", "improving the administrative-territorial division", etc. have been going on for a long time. Practically all the top leaders of the Russian Federation spoke about the desirability of "enlargement": Putin, Medvedev, Speaker of the Federation Council Matvienko, etc.

At the highest level of the leadership of the Russian Federation, there is a clear understanding that the existing administrative-territorial boundaries, primarily in the North Caucasus, were drawn back in Soviet times, if not earlier, and have become obsolete. They do not correspond to the changed reality, and only interfere with the management of the region, no one actually sits within these boundaries.

The federal districts of the Russian Federation were created in accordance with the Decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin dated May 13, 2000. Was created seven federal districts, including Southern, which includes entered the North Caucasus.

On January 19, 2010, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev decided to change the system of federal districts. There were eight of them. From Southern Federal District was allocated a new, eighth in a row, which included the Republic Dagestan, Republic Ingushetia, Kabardino-Balkarian republic, Karachay-Cherkess republic, republic North Ossetia Alania, Chechen republic and Stavropol region with the center of the federal district in the city Pyatigorsk.

Thus, North Caucasus for ten years has already changed its administrative affiliation twice.

However, the optimal solution has not yet been found.

It quickly became clear that this administrative redistribution creates more problems than it solves - soon after the creation of the SFCS, the press, the expert community, and then from the high tribunes again started talking about the need for further reform of administrative-territorial borders, primarily in the North Caucasus .

The NCFD was created in order to "stabilize", improve governance and reduce terrorist activity - but in reality the opposite happened, in addition, a whole tangle of new problems turned out.

From the very beginning, no one in the Caucasus liked the North Caucasus Federal District at all - only some Russian nationalists and "capital guys" expressed their approval, implying that the North Caucasus Federal District is something that the Russian Federation is ready to give up "if something happens."

There are several reasons for this.

1. President of Russia in a message to the Federal Assemblyso defined the main motive for the allocation of the North Caucasus Federal District:

"There must be a person personally responsible for the state of affairs in this region (in the North Caucasus)."

However, the North Caucasus did not end up under a single authority. As a result of the division, not only was a unified system of government for the entire North Caucasus not created, but it was divided into two federal districts. The lands of the North Caucasus turned out to be administratively connected with territories that had never been part of the Caucasus in any of its definitions, and belonged to two economic regions.

2. The administrative division turned out to be broken from the economic one.

In Russia, there are eleven economic regions, one of which is North–Caucasus economic region – consists of 10 federal subjects:

Republic of Adygea

The Republic of Dagestan

The Republic of Ingushetia

Kabardino-Balkarian Republic

Karachay-Cherkess Republic

Krasnodar region

Rostov region

Republic of North Ossetia - Alania

Stavropol region

Chechen Republic.

North Caucasian economic region

The originally created Southern Federal District included the lands of two economic regions- all subjects North Caucasian economic region, as well as the Republic of Kalmykia, Astrakhan and Volgograd regions, which are part of the Volga economic region.

Originally created Southern Federal District

Modern Southern Federal District

Now, after separating from it North Caucasian Federal District, truncated Southern Federal District includes two republics, three oblasts and one krai out of two districts - Volga region and North Caucasus. Republic Kalmykia, Astrakhan and Volgograd regions, included in Volga economic region and Rostov region,Krasnodar region and Republic of Adygea included in North-Kavkaz economic region.

North Caucasian Federal District

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North Caucasian Federal District

The North Caucasian Federal District occupies less than a third of the area of ​​the former Southern Federal District(172.360 km², modern Southern Federal District - 416.840 km²). The North Caucasus Federal District includes lands included only in the North Caucasian economic region. It makes up exactly half of the territory North Caucasian economic region. (North Caucasian economic region: 355.1 thousand km 2. North Caucasian Federal District: 172.360 km²).

3. The administrative division turned out to be broken from the geographical one., and now the boundaries of the political North Caucasus and the geographical North Caucasus do not coincide. That does not contribute to the effectiveness of management and breaks economic ties.

4. However, the boundaries of the NCFD create another, and very significant, problem.

NCFD consists of two heterogeneous parts - "Russian"Stavropol Territory and "national" republics: Republic Dagestan, Republic Ingushetia,Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, Karachay-Cherkess Republic, Republic North Ossetia Alania, Chechen Republic.

This leads to migration"nationals" to the lands of Stavropol, which they are, rightly so - because this corresponds to the administrative division! - began to consider their own. What causes ever-increasing ethnic friction, threatening an imminent explosion of violence, and an extremely negative reaction throughout the rest of the territory of the Russian Federation.

The inhabitants of Stavropol, primarily Russians and Cossacks, felt themselves "abandoned", left to fend for themselves. Proof of this is the unfolding collection of signatures for changing the ownership of the region. Stavropolwant to secede from the new district. Actions for the withdrawal of Stavropol from the North Caucasus Federal District are held throughout Russia (slogans: "Stavropol is not the Caucasus", etc.). intensified outflow of Russians from the North Caucasus Federal District

5. Concern of the Cossacks. Terek and Kuban Cossacks were divided.

6. Discontent of the Circassians. Circassian organizationsspoke , as they stated, "against the creation of the North Caucasian Federal District within the current borders, dividing the Circassian (Adyghe) people into different federal districts", which gave even greater impetus to the "Circassian question". Immediately after the formation of the North Caucasus Federal District, the leaders of the Circassian associations Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachay-Cherkessia and Abkhazia issued a statement: As a result of the war of the Russian Empire against Circassia (1763-1864) and the subsequent genocide of the Circassians, only about 5% of the Circassian population remained in the Caucasus. The continuation of the genocide was the Soviet division of the Circassians into four "peoples": "Adyghes", "Kabardians", "Shapsugs" and Circassians, despite a single self-name and a common language. The Circassians of the Caucasus, living in their historical homeland, were also divided administratively in Soviet times, and today they are delimited by six subjects of the Russian Federation, in three of which they are "titular" peoples. The creation of the North Caucasian Federal District, which did not include the Krasnodar Territory and the Republic of Adygea - the historical territory of Western Circassia, is a continuation of the vicious policy of dividing the Circassian people in their historical homeland».

7. This division has activated Islamist movements throughout the North Caucasus Federal District.
The Islamist underground regarded this as "surrender" of Stavropol and a step towards secession of the Northern Caucasus in general. The number of terrorist attacks has increased. After the formation of the North Caucasus Federal District, there was a sharp increase in terrorist activity throughout the Caucasus and in other regions of the Russian Federation, including hitherto calm ones. So, for the first year after the formation of the North Caucasus Federal District, a five-fold increase in terrorist attacks was recorded in the KBR! According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, in 2010, 117 terrorist crimes occurred on the territory of the KBR, while in 2009 there were 21 terrorist crimes. That is, compared to the previous year before the formation of the North Caucasus Federal District, their number increased by 457%.

8. Rostov Oblast, Krasnodar Territory and Adygeya were excluded from the traditional North Caucasian economic region that had existed since Soviet times, which created additional problems for managing a single, in fact, region.

9. The authorities have shown that they see no difference between the Eastern and Western Caucasus, that there is a strategic mistake.

These regions differ significantly from each other. However, the Federal Center applies the same methods of management in them.

Both there and there the authorities are trying to strengthen "traditional Islam". But if this somehow works in the Eastern Caucasus, in Chechnya and Dagestan, where "traditional Islam" is historically strong, then in the Western Caucasus, in the Circassian republics, this policy leads to results opposite to what is desired. "Traditional Islam" historically has a much weaker position there, Sufism is not represented at all, and for the Circassians, the traditional national philosophy, Khabzeh, is still of great importance. In the Western Caucasus, this policy only increases the degree of Islamization, which is not historically characteristic of this region. For ideological opposition to Salafi Islam in Chechnya and Dagestan, the authorities have chosen a course of support for "traditional" Islam. It is proposed to follow the same course in the Western Caucasus, but since there, unlike Chechnya, there is no "traditional" Islam, it is rapidly being created - for example, an Islamic university is being built in Nalchik, which causes an ambiguous reaction from the population.

The current situation does not suit anyone.

It would be natural to return to the unification of economic and territorial-administrative divisions. Wherein draw the administrative boundaries of districts taking into account historical, cultural, national differences and characteristics of the region, respectivelynatural geographical, geopolitical, geo-economic and cultural-historical division of the North Caucasus.

From the point of view of geography, the North Caucasus is divided into two parts: the North-Western and North-Eastern Caucasus. The first "stretches" to the Black and Azov Seas. Northeast - to the Caspian.

The Northeast Caucasus includes: Dagestan. Chechnya and Ingushetia.

To the North-Western Caucasus - the KBR, the KChR, Ossetia, the Republic of Adygea and Abkhazia, as well as Ciscaucasia, including the Stavropol Territory, the north-eastern part of the Krasnodar Territory and the south-western part of the Rostov Region.

The difference between these two regions is not only geographical, but also cultural and historical. One can clearly trace the differences between the Western and Eastern Caucasus in the field of religion, ethnography, relations with other (primarily Russian) ethnic groups and, finally, the manifestation of these differences in modern politics. -social reality.

The situation in the east and west of the current North Caucasus Federal District is different.

Eastern Caucasus:

AT Chechnya, Ingushetia and Dagestan there are practically no Russians. Significant ethnic diversity of the population.

Islamic traditions are strong, these regions are completely Islamized. Sufi tarikats are in force. The positions of the Salafis are strong.

Western Caucasus:

AT Ossetia, CBD, KChR and Adygea, a high percentage of Russians, in Adygea- over 60%. Ethnically, the population is much more homogeneous.

AT KBR, KChR, Adygea strong national movements Islamization of these regions, in fact, has not been completed. Ethnic projects are strong.

Ossetia. The majority of the population is officially Orthodox Christian. A minority of Ossetians are Muslims, however, the degree of their Islamization is significantly lower than in the Eastern Caucasus, and Islam has a different character. Both Christianity and Islam in Ossetia are closely intertwined with traditional philosophical and religious systems of ideas, which brings the religious situation in this republic closer to the Circassian lands and Abkhazia. Relations between Ossetians and Ingush (Eastern Caucasus) are very tense. Between Ossetians and Circassians (Western Caucasus) - excellent.

Based on this, it is logical to carry out a new division of the Caucasus, which will eliminate the problems that have arisen in connection with the creation of the North Caucasus Federal District.

In place of the North Caucasus Federal District and the Southern Federal District, two new Federal Districts are being created, the territory of which together fully corresponds to the territory of the North Caucasus Economic Region. Now included in the Southern Federal District and at the same time in the Volga economic region, the Volgograd region, Kalmykia and Astrakhan region, belonging to the Lower Volga region, are returning to the Volga region.

The following districts are created:

1. West Caucasian Federal District. Another possible name: Azov-Chernomorsky Federal District.

Compound: Rostov Region, Krasnodar Territory, Stavropol Territory, Adygea, KBR, KChR, Ossetia.

AT Possible center: Vladikavkaz, Krasnodar, Maykop, Rostov-on-Don, Stavropol.

Ethno-religious features: a high percentage of Russians, no deep Islamic traditions, multi-confessionalism, relative ethnic homogeneity of the population.

Economic potential: industrial and economic potential of large urban centers of Rostov-on-Don, Stavropol and Krasnodar, the district includes the entire "breadbasket of Russia", Black Sea and mountain resorts.

2. East Caucasian Federal District. Another possible name: Caspian Federal District.

Compound: Ingushetia, Chechnya, Dagestan.

AT Possible center: Grozny, Magas, Malgobek, Makhachkala, Khasavyurt. It is possible to create a new administrative center - building anew (following the example of the city of Brazil) or transforming the existing one (following the example of Astana). It is also possible to rotate capitals.

Ethno-religious features: There are no Russians, there are Islamic traditions. The region is religiously homogeneous and ethnically diverse.

Economic potential: Oil, incl. Caspian. Power industry. Shipping. Dagestan, Ingushetia, Chechnya have traditionally had good economic ties, and joining a single administrative space will give them new dynamics and give impetus to agriculture in crisis, primarily in Dagestan.

Map of the proposed administrative division. West Caucasian and East Caucasian Federal Districts

The new division has the following advantages:

Relieves a range of tensions caused by separation:

Karachays and Balkars find themselves together.

All Cossacks - Don, Kuban and Terek - are part of one district.

The Circassians also find themselves in a single district, which removes the acuteness of the problem of their administrative division.

It unites all regions of the Caucasus where the Russian population remains. Regions with a significant part of the Russian population are no longer perceived by both the local and the Russian population as given "at the mercy", etc.

The position of Ossetia is being strengthened.

The traditional system of regional governance, which has been established since Soviet times, is being restored, the horizontal ties artificially broken by the creation of the North Caucasus Federal District are being restored, and the management of the region is facilitated, the specificity of which (both economic and ethnic - Cossacks, Circassians) goes beyond the modern borders of the North Caucasian Federal District.

In Ingushetia, Chechnya and Dagestan, which have homogeneous specifics in historical, religious, ethnic aspects (the absence of Russians), it is possible to pursue a single policy that most fully takes into account the peculiarities of the region, which turns out to be ineffective in other parts of the modern North Caucasus Federal District.

The Stavropol Territory is withdrawn from the current composition of the North Caucasus Federal District, which leads to a restriction of migration flows that threaten to explode in interethnic clashes, and an end to the displacement of the Russian-speaking population.

The new administrative division will make it possible to pursue a more flexible policy in region, the possibility of maximum consideration of its features, which, ultimately, will strengthen the stability and authority of the Federal Center in the Caucasus.