Systemic Causes and Consequences of Spatially Mediated Depopulation

Depopulation processes in Russia—in almost all of its regions and settlements—are similar to those observed in almost all developed countries, and they additionally intensified in the post-Soviet period during the 30-year transformation of public relations in the country. The general and particular foundations of depopulation—of a mental, social, economic and political nature—are presented in studies by Russian geographers and demographers, sociologists and economists, ethnographers and political scientists. Summarizing and supplementing their results, the author proposes a verbal model of spatially mediated depopulation processes. It characterizes the logic of these processes in modern Russia and the dominance of economic factors in them. The article critically evaluates the methods of statistical accounting for spatially mediated depopulation. The controversial role of interregional and intraregional migration in the desertification of territories is shown.