SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF THE KALININGRAD REGION: CHALLENGES AND TRENDS OF REGIONAL ECONOMY ADAPTATION UNDER EXCLAVE CONDITIONS

Mariya Valyuhova

doi:10.29039/2409-6024-2026-14-7-355-371

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SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF THE KALININGRAD REGION: CHALLENGES AND TRENDS OF REGIONAL ECONOMY ADAPTATION UNDER EXCLAVE CONDITIONS

Published in Russian Journal of Management · Pages 355–371 · Rubric: State and Municipal Management

DOI: https://doi.org/10.29039/2409-6024-2026-14-7-355-371

Received: 11.08.2026 Accepted: 20.08.2026 Published: 24.08.2026

Authors

Mariya Valyuhova

Central Economics and Mathematics Institute of Russian Academy of Science

ABSTRACT

The article analyses the socio-economic development of the Kaliningrad Region in 2020—2026 under its exclave position and the external restrictions imposed since 2022. The aim is to assess the region's current state and development trends and to determine the extent to which institutional mechanisms compensate for the structural costs of exclavity. The objectives cover demographic dynamics and regional demographic policy, the labour market and the structure of employment, the staffing of the hospitality industry, industrial production and the region's standing in inter-regional rankings, the Special Economic Zone regime, and the transport and logistics system. The empirical basis comprises Kaliningradstat and Rosstat data, materials of the regional government, agency ratings and scholarly publications; comparative analysis, grouping of statistical data and generalisation were applied. Depopulation is shown to be structural: natural decline reached 5,539 people in 2024, up 20.2% year-on-year, against a migration inflow of 4,524, while the total fertility rate (1.217) is well below replacement level, and most regional support measures target third and subsequent births. A disproportion is identified in the hospitality industry: in 2020—2025 the room stock grew by 56.8%, accommodation establishments by 70.4% and revenues 4.1-fold, whereas employment in large and medium-sized organisations of the sector is 1,857 people — the lowest figure among all recorded activities. The regional industrial production index (108.8% in 2025) exceeds the national one (101.3%), yet this growth is driven by individual large facilities reaching design capacity rather than by a broadening enterprise base. The transport restructuring has not restored the previous connectivity but changed its qualitative nature: the railway corridor has shifted to quota-based access set by an external party, while most freight is carried by subsidised coastal shipping, which grew 2.4-fold in 2021—2024. The region is therefore in a state of partial adaptation, in which compensatory mechanisms reduce but do not eliminate the structural risks of its exclave position.

KEYWORDS

Kaliningrad Region; exclave; regional economy; Special Economic Zone; transport and logistics system; regional labour market; hospitality industry; quality of life.

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This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International

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Chief editor

Aleksandr Suglobov

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Deputy Editor-in-chief

Aleksey S. Mindrin

Publishing editor

Nadezhda Troitskaya

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This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International Creative Commons

GOST

Valyuhova M. A. SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF THE KALININGRAD REGION: CHALLENGES AND TRENDS OF REGIONAL ECONOMY ADAPTATION UNDER EXCLAVE CONDITIONS // Russian Journal of Management. 2026. no. 7. pp. 355-371. DOI: https://doi.org/10.29039/2409-6024-2026-14-7-355-371. (Date of access 08.09.2026).

MLA

Mariya Valyuhova. "SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF THE KALININGRAD REGION: CHALLENGES AND TRENDS OF REGIONAL ECONOMY ADAPTATION UNDER EXCLAVE CONDITIONS." Russian Journal of Management 14.7 (2026): 355-371. DOI: https://doi.org/10.29039/2409-6024-2026-14-7-355-371.

APA

Valyuhova M. A. (2026). SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF THE KALININGRAD REGION: CHALLENGES AND TRENDS OF REGIONAL ECONOMY ADAPTATION UNDER EXCLAVE CONDITIONS. Russian Journal of Management, 14(7), 355-371. https://doi.org/10.29039/2409-6024-2026-14-7-355-371

Chicago

Mariya Valyuhova. "SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF THE KALININGRAD REGION: CHALLENGES AND TRENDS OF REGIONAL ECONOMY ADAPTATION UNDER EXCLAVE CONDITIONS." Russian Journal of Management 14, no. 7 (2026): 355-371. https://doi.org/10.29039/2409-6024-2026-14-7-355-371.

WIKI

{{cite journal | author = Valyuhova M. A. | title = SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF THE KALININGRAD REGION: CHALLENGES AND TRENDS OF REGIONAL ECONOMY ADAPTATION UNDER EXCLAVE CONDITIONS | journal = Russian Journal of Management | year = 2026 | volume = 14 | issue = 7 | pages = 355-371 | doi = 10.29039/2409-6024-2026-14-7-355-371 }}

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SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF THE KALININGRAD REGION: CHALLENGES AND TRENDS OF REGIONAL ECONOMY ADAPTATION UNDER EXCLAVE CONDITIONS

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