On February 1, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed a decree approving the launch of six major state-supported investment projects in the Arctic region. According to the document, Russia expects to attract more than 200 billion rubles (approximately $2.7 billion) in outside investments to complete these initiatives. Businesses interested in these projects will be able to count on reimbursement (to be defrayed by the Russian state) of up to 20 percent of their total investment. According to Mishustin, with this decree, the government demonstrates its adherence to the earlier presidential instruction to promote the comprehensive development of the Russian Arctic zone. He stated, “[C]onditions are being established to be able to create more jobs and to make the northern territories a more attractive place to live” (Arctic.ru, February 1).
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