Balancing Between Geopolitics and Economics: The Development of International Transit in The USSR and Russia

International transport transit is a sector of the economy that is very sensitive to geopolitical, economic and technological changes taking place in the world and in individual countries. The article examines the development of transit in the context of socialist economic integration (SEI) and Eurasian integration (EAI). The transit problems of the Soviet period were mainly associated with the bipolar world order, the activities of the CMEA and the Warsaw Pact, and the establishment of pan-European cooperation. The collapse of the USSR and the division of the post-Soviet countries according to integration priorities greatly complicated the transit situation. For Russia in the 1990s and 2000s in the foreground was the creation of alternative communications that would reduce the risks of Russian exports of fuel and raw materials from the strong transit dependence that had developed in the socialist past. At the same time, Russia developed transit cooperation with the EAEU countries as an important condition for deepening the EAI and increasing the export of transport services. In the structure of the latter, an increasing share is occupied by the service of transcontinental transit traffic. Their dynamic growth reflected both the increased interest of China and the EU in transcontinental routes of mutual trade and the coordinated transport policies of the EAEU countries.

1. Geography of industrial infrastructure in foreign socialist countries, 1986 // Collection of articles / Edited by L. Vardomsky. M.: Ed. Moscow State University. M. 136 p. (In Russ.)

2. Eurasian Economic Commission. Department of Transport and Infrastructure, 2019. Analytical report «International transport corridors passing through the territory of the Member States». M. 24 p. (In Russ.)

3. Vardomskiy L. B., 2012. Development of transport and international transit traffic // Global economy and life on the threshold of a new era. To the anniversary of academician O. T. Bogomolov. M.: Ankil. 383 p. (In Russ.)

4. Vardomskiy L. B., Turaeva M. O., 2018. Development of transport corridors of the post- Soviet space in the context of modern geopolitical and economic challenges: Scientific report / Institute of Economics RAN. M. 64 p. (In Russ.)

5. Vardomskiy L. B., 2020. Forgotten Integration: Failure and Lessons from the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance // Contours of global transformations: politics, economics, law. № 3. P. 176–195. (In Russ.)

6. Vinokurov E. Yu., Lobyrev V. G., Tikhomirova A. A., Tsukarev T. V., 2018. Transport corridors of the Silk Road: the potential for growth in freight traffic through the EAEU – EDB / Center for Integration Studies. Report № 49. SPb. 71 p. (In Russ.)

7. Grigoriev L., Salikhov M., 2007. 15 years later. Shifts in the economies of Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova, 1991–2006 / Institute of Energy and Finance. M. 198 p. (In Russ.)

8. Ivanov Yu. M., Romanenko A. A., Lebedev G. V., 2013. Russian seaports: trajectory of development // Transport of the Russian Federation. № 5 (48). P. 4–8. (In Russ.)

9. Ivut R. B., Zubritskiy A. F., Zinevich A. S., 2015. Development of the transit potential of the Republic of Belarus in the conditions of the formation of its transport and logistics system // News of Science and Technology. Minsk. № 1. P. 19–33. (In Russ.)

10. Lisovolik Y., Sutyrin V., 2017. Geography of the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union: from challenges to opportunities: Report of the Valdai International Discussion Club. M. October 2017. P. 4–7. (In Russ.)

11. Murzaliev A., 1996. Profitable, but unhappy marriage // Kommersant. № 21. P. 30–31. (In Russ.)

12. Tsvetkov V. A., Zoidov K. Kh., Medkov A. A., 2014. Formation of an evolutionary model of the transport and transit system of Russia in the context of integration and globalization / Institute of Market Problems RAN.. M.; SPb.: Nestor- History. 799 p. (In Russ.)

13. Ilchenko V., 2018. Five facts about the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine // https://delo.ua/business/pjat-faktov-o-tranzite-rossijskogo-gaza-cherez-ukrainu-339583, accessed 19.02.2021. (In Russ.)

14. Krivosheev V., 2013. The global economy and the way of life on the threshold of a new era: Review of the anniversary collection // http://www.inesnet.ru/wp-content/mag_archive/2013_04/ES2013-04-Vladlen_Krivosheev.pdf#1, accessed 15.02.2021. (In Russ.)

15. Kuznetsov V., 2020. The fate of the Ukrainian transit. Slow death within the framework of independence // https://ukraina.ru/exclusive/20200219/1026755239.html, accessed 02.03.2021. (In Russ.)

16. Arvis J.-F., Raballand G., Marteau J.-F., 2007. The Cost of Being Landlocked: Logistics Costs and Shipping Chain Reliablity. The World Bank // https://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/987461468008762479/pdf/wps4258.pdf, accessed 18.02.2021. (In Eng.)

17. Kostrowicka I., Landau Z., Tomaszewski J., 1966. Historia gospodarcza Polski w XIX I XX wieku. Warszawa. P. 620. (In Polish.)

18. Patryn E., 1967. Tranzyt a gospodarka narodowa // PWE. Warszawa. P. 185. (In Polish.)

19. Key players on the New Silk Road are joining forces to clear bottlenecks on the railroad in anticipation of further growth in traffic. 01/27/2021 // https://www.utlc.com/news/klyuchevye-igroki-novogo-shyelkovogo-puti-obedinyayutsya-dlya-rasshivki-uzkikh-mest-na-zheleznoy-dor, accessed 15.02.2021. (In Russ.)