Oil Extraction and Benefit Sharing in an Illiberal Context: The Nenets and Komi-Izhemtsi Indigenous Peoples in the Russian Arctic

How can indigenous communities in illiberal regimes benefit from oil
production? This paper compares the experience of two indigenous
peoples in the Russian Arctic, the Nenets and the Komi-Izhemtsi, in their
quest for environmental protection and the development of benefitsharing
arrangements with Lukoil, a Russian oil company. The Nenets
people, recognized by the Russian state as indigenous, are marginalized
political actors who identified a route to receiving compensation for
loss of land and damage to the environment as well as economic
benefits under the auspices of Russian law and Lukoil’s corporate
policies. In contrast, the Komi-Izhemtsi, despite indigenous status in
global institutions including the United Nations and the Arctic Council,
are unrecognized as indigenous domestically and initially received no
compensation. Their path to benefit sharing was more challenging as
they partnered with local nongovernmental organizations and global
environmentalists to pressure Lukoil to sign a benefit-sharing agreement.
Ultimately, the comparison illustrates how transnational partnerships
can empower indigenous people to gain benefits from natural
resource exploitation even in illiberal political systems.