At the Eastern Economic Forum, NAS Association Director Anna Manakhova held a working meeting with Vladislav Kuznetsov, Governor of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug

Why this matters for the region

Chukotka is a territory where delivery is expensive and difficult. A significant share of freight is currently carried by helicopters, including the Mi-8. Flights depend on the weather: strong winds and difficult conditions often keep aircraft on the ground.
At the same time the okrug has few year-round roads, but a well-developed network of winter roads. Maintaining them is a regional programme in its own right, and for most of the winter they carry the bulk of overland logistics.
Communications are a separate factor. Much of the territory has no reliable internet access, which limits vehicle control, monitoring and rapid response alike.

What was discussed

Delivery by air. Using unmanned aircraft systems to carry freight to remote settlements — as a supplement to, and in part an alternative to, helicopter flights.

Unmanned transport on winter roads. Deploying high-mobility autonomous freight vehicles able to operate in difficult weather and deliver cargo along winter roads to remote areas — as a regular freight corridor rather than one-off runs.

Forest monitoring. Using unmanned systems to monitor the fire situation, including in forest areas on the border with the Magadan Region.
Communications and control. Which current solutions make it possible to operate where connectivity is unreliable and internet access is limited.

The meeting was practical in nature: the region has formulated a specific request, and the parties matched its needs against the capabilities of the Association’s member companies.

Anna Manakhova, Director of the NAS Association: “Chukotka is not a showcase test site but a territory with hard practical tasks. What matters here is not impressive pilots but something that will actually deliver the cargo when the helicopter cannot fly, will make it along a winter road and will keep working on a weak connection. The region states its request clearly: delivery by air, autonomous freight transport, forest monitoring. Our role is to gather that request and bring in those who know how to meet it.”