Russia’s geography is unique: it occupies an enormous landmass across the Eurasian continent, spanning eleven time zones. Equally distinctive is the geography of its population and economic activity. Nowhere else in the world do so many people live and work in such cold, remote, and inhospitable places. This is not a coincidence but a direct outcome of Soviet regional development policies—from the GULAG system of Stalin’s era to the late Soviet industrial projects in Siberia. The legacy of those Soviet decisions not only persists in Russia’s spatial economy today but also continues to shape its future development.