Despite the sweeping economic sanctions imposed by Western countries, Russia has managed to avoid a significant recession, experiencing recovery growth. The situation in the regions earlier involved in cooperation with Europe was more complicated. Yet, these territories have also succeeded in reviving their economies and returning to growth. A number of growth areas have emerged in the Russian regions, which continue to develop under sanctions. A prime example of this is Russian seaports. This article examines the factors that enabled Russian businesses, including those operating in Baltic Sea ports, to adapt to the sanctions and continue operations. To do so, a comprehensive analysis was conducted, with a focus on macroeconomic, sectoral, regional, and corporate statistics. In addition, scholarly articles and information from business media were examined, and a survey was conducted among Russian enterprises operating across various industries and regions of the country. This study traces the history of economic relations between Russia and Europe over the past twenty-five years, examining the impact of Western sanctions on Russia’s spatial development, the response of Russian maritime transport to these sanctions, and the adaptation measures taken. It also evaluates the performance of Russian Baltic ports between 2022 and 2023, assessing the long-term risks and threats to their development and exploring the potential for maritime transport growth in the Baltic region under the current circumstances.

Over the past 25 years, Russia has faced several economic and geopolitical challenges, including the 2008 global financial crisis, sanctions imposed in 2014, and the COVID-19 pandemic. To remain resilient in the face of these challenges, Russia needs to adopt a flexible development strategy and transition to a new path of development. This transition requires the development of new knowledge-intensive industries, expansion into promising markets, strengthening trade and economic partnerships, and achieving technological sovereignty. This study examines the innovation system in Northwest Russia and identifies factors that are critical for its sustainability and innovation security in the face of geopolitical instability. The study uses an integrated approach to trace the knowledge production and innovation process from research findings to the commercialization of new technologies. The study finds that there are strong correlations between innovation activity and R&D investment, patent activity, and the number of innovative organisations. The study also identifies three types of regional innovation systems in Northwest Russia: core, semi-periphery, and periphery. The nature of the regions’ involvement in R&D determines the dynamics and specialization of their publications and patents. The study also finds that there is a positive correlation between the volume of innovative products and quantitative factors in the functioning of subsystems involved in knowledge generation and innovation. Finally, the study examines the geography and structure of the international research network that the regions of Northwest Russia had formed by 2022. It shows that the geopolitical transformation requires a significant part of cooperation ties with unfriendly countries to be restructured.