Published on: 2026-06-01
Source: Government of the Russian Federation –
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The “Hectare” program in the Far East and the Arctic celebrates a double anniversary on June 1 – 10 years in the FEFD and 5 years in the Russian North. During this time, it has become truly popular and effective, providing Russians with the opportunity to receive land for free for the construction of housing, business activities, agriculture, and the development of tourism projects. The implementation of the program in the FEFD and the Arctic zone of Russia is overseen by a federal development institute – the Corporation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic (DEAR) (a subordinate organization of the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East).
This is freedom and opportunities for Russians
Deputy Chairman of the Government – plenipotentiary representative of the President in the Far Eastern Federal District Yuri Trutnev said that the program was created with the idea of increasing the degree of people’s freedom.
“This was not a program, as critics discussed, for increasing the population. This is a program to enhance people’s capabilities, when a person in their homeland, in Russia, can receive land without running to various institutions, without gathering a pile of papers. To receive land in the country where you live for free,” — this seems important and correct to me. “Therefore, we will continue this program,” added Yuri Trutnev.
According to the CRDV, in the Far East and the Arctic, over 10 years of the program’s operation, land plots have been allocated to about 180 thousand people. Almost 40 thousand participants – 38.5 thousand people – have already re-registered the land as ownership or long-term lease. In the structure of land use, individual housing construction prevails – 53%, agriculture – 28%, entrepreneurial activity – 10%, recreation – 7%.
Minister for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic Aleksey Chekunkov noted that over 10 years the program has proven its demand and effectiveness. Almost 180 thousand people have already received land plots and are investing their ideas, efforts, and resources into their development, using the land for housing construction and launching business projects.
“More than a quarter of the participants of ‘Hectare’ develop agriculture, more and more people choose tourism and entrepreneurship. This means that the program helps active citizens to realize their dreams. It is important that an ecosystem of state support is being formed and expanded around it, simultaneously solving both social and economic development tasks of the Far East and the Arctic,” said Alexey Chekunkov.
According to the CRDV data, people’s interest in “Gektar” continues to grow by 25% annually. In 2025, citizens were provided with almost 19 thousand land plots with a total area of over 13 thousand hectares — an area comparable in size to an average Russian city.
85% of issued plots are in the DFO
The main demand for free land is traditionally concentrated in the Far East – 85% of all plots have been formalized here, with another 15% accounted for in the Arctic zone. The leader in the number of plots provided for the second year in a row is the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), where in 2025, 7 thousand plots were transferred to citizens. The region accounted for 37% of all hectares provided in the Far Eastern Federal District. Next are Primorsky Krai – 23%, Amur Oblast – 7%, Khabarovsk Krai – 5%, and the remaining regions of the district cumulatively ensured 14%.
The Director of the Department of the Corporation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic for the implementation of the “Hectare” program, Yulia Tishchenko, reported that most often Far Easterners and northerners take land in the territories where they live. Residents of other regions choose subjects of the Russian Federation with the most favorable climate and developed, accessible infrastructure.
“Regions – leaders in the allocation of hectares in the Far East – are Primorsky Krai, Amur Oblast, Khabarovsk Krai, Sakhalin Oblast. In the Arctic – the Republic of Karelia and Murmansk Oblast. But in 2025, Yakutia unexpectedly took first place in the allocation of plots. And we now see that it has firmly established itself as a stable leader. In 2026, every third hectare will be allocated specifically in Yakutia – the largest region of Russia. In 2025, more than 7 thousand program participants also chose this region. Congratulations to all participants of the “Hectare” program in the Far East and the Arctic on the program’s anniversary!We remind you that every citizen of Russia has the right to receive a free hectare of land in the territory of the Far Eastern Federal District (FEFD) and the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation. And every person who develops their hectare gets an additional hectare. Those who develop their land succeed in prospering their business. Those who are only making plans for their land – welcome to our program!” added Yulia Tishchenko.
One of the indicators of the program’s maturity is the transfer of participants to long-term models of land development. By 2025, 4,054 plots will have been transferred into ownership, including 424 cases of early registration. Another 244 plots have been registered for long-term lease, reflecting the growth in the number of entrepreneurial and investment projects.
Yakutia remains one of the most active regions in the implementation of the program and in terms of accumulated indicators. Since the start of the program, about 60 thousand applications have been submitted here, 25.7 thousand contracts for gratuitous land use have been concluded. Ownership and lease have been re-registered for 5.4 thousand plots — this is 14% of the total number of re-registrations in the Far Eastern Federal District.
Sustainable directions for land development have been established in the republic. The most in-demand are individual housing construction, agriculture, and tourism. According to the data from the Ministry of Ecology of Yakutia, 40% of forest fund land plots are used for individual housing construction, 25% for agriculture, 17% for conducting personal subsidiary farming, 11% for recreation and tourism, and another 7% for hunting and fishing.
Museum and high-tech greenhouses at “Hectare”
The practice of program implementation shows that land becomes a basis for the development of local economy and entrepreneurial initiatives. For example, in the Namsky District, the Pestryakov family created the guesthouse “White Lake” and opened the “Crucian Carp Museum”. In the Amginsky Ulus, program participant Marat Zalyalov develops beekeeping and honey production. In the Mirninsky District, resident of the settlement Ayal Viktor Vitesko built a high-tech greenhouse with automated climate control systems.In the Khangalassky ulus, an ethnographic tourist complex “Yamshchitskoye Podvorye” was created as part of the program, which in 2025 received the prestigious award “Star of the Far East” in the nomination “Hectare of Victory”.
In 2025, the Ministry of Eastern Development and the Russian Federal Service for State Registration, Cadastre and Cartography jointly with the subjects of the Russian Federation and Rosreestr conducted a large-scale land inventory with the refinement of cartographic data using satellite imagery – this work covered more than 200 million hectares. As a result, new plots were discovered and the boundaries of accessible territories were updated. Simultaneously, together with the Ministry of Digital Development and Rosreestr, the mechanism for issuing parcels on the “Gosuslugi” portal was significantly improved.From 2026, citizens will be able to register a hectare entirely online: select a plot on the interactive map of the National Spatial Data System, create a scheme, submit an application, sign documents, and receive the land without leaving the portal. This makes the service of obtaining free land in the Far East and in the Arctic one of the most technological in the system of state services.
Unique legislative framework for the development of “Hectar”
In 2025, changes were also implemented in the legislation aimed at improving the efficiency of the program. The procedure for excluding plots from the forest land fund, provided for individual housing construction, was simplified. In addition, the program was expanded to new territories of the Arctic zone – plots became available in the Beloyarsky and Beryozovsky municipal districts of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug – Yugra.
An additional tool to support participants is the educational infrastructure. In 2025, a new season of the professional retraining program “Business Organization on a ‘Hectare’ in the Far East and the Arctic” was launched at the DFEU. As a result of the project, 271 graduates from 41 regions of the country received diplomas. More than 740 people participated in in-person and online seminars on support measures. Today, program participants can take advantage of more than 35 federal, regional, and municipal support measures—from housing construction and farming to launching their own business.
The results of decades of work show that the “Hectar” program has gone beyond the framework of the land allocation mechanism and has become a tool for forming a new model of territorial development. Participants are increasingly joining the program with long-term goals, the share of plots registered as property is growing, entrepreneurial projects and new points of economic activity are developing. This approach forms a new geography of life and economy in the Far East and the Arctic.
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