Digital transformation in Russian regions: current trends, differences and challenges

The article examines current trends in digital transformation in Russian regions, paying attention to the most pressing aspects and challenges of regional digitalization. The article presents an analysis of differences in the levels of digital development between the subjects of the Russian Federation, the pace of digitalization in recent years, as well as the impact of these processes on the economy, infrastructure and social sphere of the regions. The latest research and statistics published by the Higher School of Economics jointly with Rosstat were used, including the results of annual monitoring of the digital development of regions, “digital maturity” indicators and other indicators. It is shown that despite the steady growth of key indicators (the share of households with Internet access, the use of electronic government services, etc.) and the general increase in the digital maturity of regions, significant interregional differences remain. The impact of digitalization on the structure of the regional economy and the labor market, the development of telecommunications infrastructure, as well as changes in the social sphere - from e-government to the level of digital skills of the population - are discussed. The problem of digital inequality and proposed measures to overcome it are given special emphasis.