The two authors, recognized experts on the Russian North and among the most outspoken advocates of a thorough re‐examination of environmental and social policy in the Russian North, seek to identify (through an exhaustive survey of published sources, their own professional experience, and archival data) the essential characteristics of the Russian North and the key problems confronting Russia's northern regions today. The resulting essay, which incorporates many of the authors’ personal views, is of interest as a candid assessment of the magnitude of the difficulties and the seriousness of current conditions in the North today. An initial section makes the case for the uniqueness of the region in terms of the character of the problems it faces and the potential for solutions.