Northern Sea Route: Past, Present, and Future. Results of the International Scientific Megaproject

The author characterizes the idea, concept, implementation process and results of the international scientific project devoted to the history, modernity and prospects of the Northern Sea Route development, which resulted in a collective monograph published in 2022. The content and structure of this publication are presented, its participants, scientists from four European countries, are indicated. The author examines how this book reveals the most significant milestones of the historical past of this maritime communication, starting with the development of navigation in the European part of the Arctic and the emergence of the idea of the possibility of passage between Europe and Asia, from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean along the Eurasian northern coast of Russia, which was called the Northeast Passage. The research compares the results of scientific investigations and search for a through passage from Europe to Asia by this waterway, as well as exploration of its parts and organization of navigation. The author characterizes the transformation of the Northeast Passage into the Northern Sea Route and the organization of its permanent operation and through navigation in the 20th century. The article analyzes the contradictory trends in the development of the Northern Sea Route in the beginning of the 21st century, as well as possible scenarios for its future. The article also reveals the process of studying the history of the Northeast Passage/Northern Sea Route over several centuries and identifies the most significant studies published in Russia and abroad.