The Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East and Arctic has developed a draft government resolution which would extend the list of equipment that small businesses in the Russian Arctic can purchase under soft leasing programs.

The aim of the document is to ensure stable socioeconomic development of the Russian Arctic and to encourage entrepreneurship there. The draft resolution envisages requirements for Russian leasing companies that implement soft-loan programs for small and medium-sized businesses in the Arctic.

"To put it simply, small businesses in the Arctic will be able to purchase all-terrain machines they really need under these leasing programs, which is impossible to date. It is necessary to consider the real needs of the businesses operating in harsh climatic conditions. They have special demands for the production assets and equipment of all kinds of enterprises," noted Alexander Krutikov, deputy minister for the Development of the Russian Far East and Arctic.