Post-Soviet ports and the geopolitical evolution of the contemporary world. Critical analysis of the 1993–2023 period

Arnaud Serry (), Yann Alix, Ronan Kerbiriou () and Brigitte Daudet ()
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Arnaud Serry: IDEES - Identité et Différenciation de l’Espace, de l’Environnement et des Sociétés - UNICAEN - Université de Caen Normandie - NU - Normandie Université - ULH - Université Le Havre Normandie - NU - Normandie Université - UNIROUEN - Université de Rouen Normandie - NU - Normandie Université - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - IRIHS - Institut de Recherche Interdisciplinaire Homme et Société - UNIROUEN - Université de Rouen Normandie - NU - Normandie Université
Yann Alix: Fondation Sefacil
Ronan Kerbiriou: IDEES - Identité et Différenciation de l’Espace, de l’Environnement et des Sociétés - UNICAEN - Université de Caen Normandie - NU - Normandie Université - ULH - Université Le Havre Normandie - NU - Normandie Université - UNIROUEN - Université de Rouen Normandie - NU - Normandie Université - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - IRIHS - Institut de Recherche Interdisciplinaire Homme et Société - UNIROUEN - Université de Rouen Normandie - NU - Normandie Université
Brigitte Daudet: Métis Lab EM Normandie - EM Normandie - École de Management de Normandie = EM Normandie Business School

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Abstract: The study investigates the transformation of post-Soviet port systems under shifting geopolitical pressures. In the initial section, the legacy of a Soviet port network designed to serve domestic circulation is traced, and its fragmentation through privatisation, institutional crisis and strategic decrees aimed at reviving a national merchant fleet is documented. The second section positions the 1991 collapse as the pivotal moment that disrupted inherited trade corridors, stimulated new state-backed port investments and redirected transit dynamics in the Baltic, Black, Pacific and Arctic regions. Finally, an analysis of vessel tracking data, utilising the Automated Identification System (AIS) from 2021 to 2024, has revealed a significant shift in the strategic orientation of Russian ports towards the Asia-Pacific region. This transition is characterised by a notable expansion of the Pacific seaboard and a substantial growth in Arctic operations, despite the prevailing economic sanctions imposed by the West. This phenomenon stands in contrast to the observed decline in connectivity of the Black Sea and the Baltic regions. These findings emphasise the potential of data-driven analysis of real-time maritime flows to expose Russia's strategic redirection of export and to inform broader debates on infrastructure sovereignty, regional resilience, and the geoeconomics of post-Soviet transport networks.

Keywords: Geopolitics; post-Soviet ports; Transport networks; Geoeconomics; Russia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-05-25
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Published in Post-Communist Economies, 2026, pp.1-20. ⟨10.1080/14631377.2026.2678412⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05640295

DOI: 10.1080/14631377.2026.2678412

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