Andrey Volynchuk, Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnology of the Peoples of the Far East, FEB RAS, Vladivostok, Russia. E-mail: i-abv@yandex.ru.
In the context of intensifying cross-border interactions and growing international flows of goods, capital, and labor, cross-border cooperation is increasingly viewed as one of the key instruments for the socioeconomic development of border regions. However, in many regions it is still implemented primarily within a transit-oriented logic focused on serving external flows and expanding transport and logistics functions. Despite the quantitative growth of interactions, such model rarely transforms into sustainable sources of internal regional development. This paper examines the contradiction between transit-oriented and development-oriented logics of cross-border cooperation in the context of regional policy implemented in the southern Russian Far East. Drawing on the concept of new regionalism, cross-border territories are considered not as passive spaces of mediation but as potential actors of regional development, whose role is determined by their institutional capacity and the extent to which cross-border agenda is embedded in regional strategies. Based on the analysis of international experience in cross-border regional policy in the European Union, North America, and Southeast Asia, alternative models are identified that demonstrate the potential transition from servicing flows to the formation of development- oriented spaces. It is shown that the key condition for such transition is not the scale of cross-border interaction itself, but the ability of regional and municipal actors to integrate cross-border cooperation into the logic of territorial reproduction. Fundamental conditions for a conceptual shift from a transit model to development-oriented forms of cross-border cooperation are formulated, allowing cross-border dynamics to be regarded as a manageable resource of regional policy.
Keywords: cross-border cooperation, transit logic, regional policy, institutional capacity, new regionalism, border regions, regional development, regional agency, southern Russian Far East.

Sergei Pestsov, Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnology of the Peoples of the Far East, FEB RAS, Vladivostok, Russia. E-mail: skpfox@yandex.ru.
Border regions are typically considered peripheral areas due to their remoteness from national centers of economic activity, poor accessibility, and low population density, which hinders their sustainable development. However, international experience shows that such situation can be turned into an advantage. The development of cross-border connections creates opportunities for dynamic growth through the integration of the potential of neighboring regions and the use of existing differences as an incentive for revitalizing trade, mobility, and investment. The close relations that currently exist between Russia and China seem to offer broad prospects for interaction at various levels, including facilitating the dynamic development of peripheral territories on both sides of their common border. However, as experts from both countries note, reality diverges from both official assessments and existing expectations. This paper examines Russian official discourse related to the understanding of cross-border cooperation, which may provide one of the possible explanations for this paradox. This analysis shows that commonly accepted official interpretations of the concept of "cross-border cooperation" contribute to the blurring of its meaning and its "dissolution" into the broader and more general concept of international cooperation. As a result, cross-border cooperation becomes a rather abstract category suitable for defining virtually any cooperative interactions across a state border as they are implemented through adjacent territories even when their involvement is limited to border-crossing procedures and transit operations.
Keywords: Russia, China, Far East, border regions, cross-border cooperation, development strategies, economic cooperation.

Aleksandra Stepaniuk, Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnology of the Peoples of the Far East, FEB RAS, Vladivostok, Russia. E-mail: aleksandras_ihaefe@mail.ru.
This paper aims to identify the expert and official discursive framework constructed by China in relation to the DPRK. Drawing on publications by Chinese researchers, official documents, regional programs of Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces, and pro-government media platforms, the study examines the academic, political, and expert and propaganda levels of communication. Using critical discourse analysis, it explores how North Korea's image is constructed in Chinese expert and public spaces, identifying key narratives and rhetorical strategies. The analysis covers various aspects of bilateral relations—economic dependence, political unreliability, and the geopolitical role of the DPRK in regional balance of power—with special attention to North Korea as an instrument for realizing Chinese national interests and the specific role of border provinces as administrative centers stabilizing the relationship. The metaphors and omissions used by Chinese authors to define the relationship and establish leverage are analyzed separately. This approach reveals not only differences in rhetoric but also their unified vector, exposing hidden mechanisms of policy formation and presenting a holistic model in which the DPRK emerges as an "instrumental asset" and an object of pragmatic governance. The paper demonstrates the complexity and multi-layered nature of Chinese discourse on the DPRK, which shapes interaction strategies and perceptions of the northern neighbor. Thus, it contributes a new perspective to the study of China- DPRK relations, highlighting the complexity of interstate dialogue and also holds practical significance for the Russian Far East, which borders the provinces that are key actors in interaction with the DPRK.
Keywords: China-DPRK relations, discourse analysis, academic discourse, official discourse, image of the DPRK.

Vitalii Boldyrev, Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnology of Peoples of Far East, FEB RAS, Vladivostok, Russia. E-mail: boldyrev89@list.ru.
Since 2022, the regional environment in Northeast Asia has been undergoing transformation, and the "Russia — China — DPRK" triangle has become increasingly visible. The Russia — DPRK relations are the most challenging to analyze particularly in economic terms. Due to the almost total absence of statistical data, the analysis relies on comparative and analogical methods. The North American model of cooperation was chosen as an analogy with particular attention given to the role of Quebec within it. This made it possible to identify the following characteristics of cooperation: when traditional industries are concentrated, the border functions as a factor of transit rather than economic growth; survival strategies preserve a more primitive economic structure; an overwhelming dominant trade partner emerges in the external market; the role of the government in the economy increases. A comparison of these parameters with the positions of the DPRK and Russia in Northeast Asia revealed the vulnerability of these states. The negative impact of such situation could be minimized through limited cross-border cooperation between two countries. However, its development is hindered by the high centralization of intergovernmental cooperation, the secondary role of regions, the transit specialization of border territories, the DPRK's aspiration to leverage cooperation with Russia to address internal socio-economic problems, and Russia's reluctance to establish cooperation with the DPRK based on mutually complementary regional sectors adjacent to the shared border. The intersectoral cooperation between the industrial centers of the Primorye Region and North and South Hamgyong Provinces could strengthen economic cooperation between two countries.
Keywords: Russia, DPRK, Northeast Asia, Quebec, Primorye Region, border, cooperation, economy.

Valentin Golovachev, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia. E-mail: v.golovachev@ivran.ru.
Alexey Emelin, Russian State Navy Archive, Saint-Petersburg, Russia. E-mail: eay@rgavmf.ru.
The Japanese military expedition to Taiwan in 1874 and the related "disagreements" between China and Japan were widely covered in international and Russian periodicals. On December 25, 1874 (January 6, 1875, New Style), the newspaper "Kronshtadtsky Vestnik" reprinted a translation of an article from the "Journal de St. Petersbourg", the official French-language newspaper of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Empire. Both anonymous articles reproduced almost verbatim the report on the visit to the ports of Formosa compiled by Captain-Lieutenant V.A. Terentyev, commander of the gunboat "Gornostai". Terentyev was sent to the southern coast of the island by order of the Russian envoy in Beijing "to gather information on whether the Chinese were making any military preparations and on the Japanese actions", as well as to assess "the situation in Formosa and the respective chances for success in the event of a clash, both on land and at sea". The Russian naval officer successfully fulfilled this task, gathering highly valuable information that already in the summer of 1874 allowed him to make an accurate forecast regarding the improbability of an open military confrontation between Japan and China. The full text of the "excerpt" from V.A. Terentyev's report, preserved in the Archive of the Foreign Policy of the Russian Empire, was published for the first time by one of the authors of this paper in 2024. This publication examines the dating, authorship, reliability of the content, and several other source-critical aspects related to the original document and its reprints in Russian periodicals. The appendix also includes Terentyev's note "Life Raft on the Island of Formosa", which was published by the newspaper "Kronshtadtsky Vestnik" in 1875.
Keywords: "Gornostai" gunboat, China, Formosa, Japan, Japanese military expedition, Journal de St.-Petersbourg, Kronstadt Herald, Mudan, Russia, Russian Empire, Taiwan, Terentyev V.A., 1874.

Valeriy Tokmakov, Amur State Medical Academy, Blagoveshchensk, Russia. E-mail: valerijtokmakov537@gmail.com.
The paper analyzes the works of Professor V.P. Malyshev (1898—1977), dedicated to the biographies of F.N. Mukhin, V.K. Blyukher, the struggle for Soviet power in the Amur Region, and the events of the battles of Volochayevka. The life of V.P. Malyshev is closely connected with the Russian Far East. He was born in the Nerchinsky District of the Transbaikal Region and participated in the battle of Volochayevka in 1922. His scientific and pedagogical work was carried out at pedagogical institutes in Tashauz, Blagoveshchensk and Krasnodar. V.P. Malyshev worked in Blagoveshchensk from 1949 to 1960. In 1955, Vasily Prokofyevich was the first to defend his doctoral dissertation and receive the degree of Doctor of Sciences in History at the Blagoveshchensk State Pedagogical Institute. His dissertation, entitled "The Struggle of Workers and Peasants for the Establishment of Soviet Power in the Amur Region in 1917—1922", served as the basis for popular scientific publications in the late 1950s and early 1960s. In 1959, V.P. Malyshev was awarded the Doctor of Sciences in History. The publications mentioned in the paper became the first examples of biographies of historical figures of the Great Russian Revolution in the Far East. The book "The Struggle for Soviet Power in the Amur Region" was the most systematic and coherent in its presentation of the formation of Soviet power in the region. Despite the great significance of these publications for the development of the historiography of that time, they were harshly criticized by both historians and veterans of the Civil War. V.P. Malyshev was accused of reconstructing events, sometimes even outright fabrication, uncritical use of historical sources, and numerous factual inaccuracies. This paper defines the significance and role of V.P. Malyshev's works in the formation of the historiography of the Great Russian Revolution, which developed at the intersection of the "Stalinist" and "Khrushchev" eras.
Keywords: Great Russian Revolution, October Revolution, Civil War, Soviet historiography, regional historiography, Soviets, Far East, biographies, popular science publications, Blagoveshchensk State Pedagogical Institute, V.P. Malyshev, N.A. Shindyalov.

Konstantin Zyuzin, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia. E-mail: zyuzinconstantine@yandex.ru.
The paper attempts to evaluate the structure of the tariff system and the operational results of the Chinese Eastern Railway (CER) from the point of view of their compliance with the objectives faced by the enterprise in the pre-revolutionary period. The study uses data from published tariffs of the CER, as well as statistical reports on freight transportation. On the one hand, the CER faced a purely commercial task — to increase the profitability of the railway. In this regard, it managed to demonstrate a relatively successful result by intensifying transportation both within Manchuria and in traffic with Russia, thus overcoming the operating deficit in 1910 (excluding the costs of maintaining security units). On the other hand, the CER also had state-oriented objectives aimed at establishing control over commodity flows in Manchuria in accordance with the interests of Russia. This was possible for the CER only on conditions of 1) successful competition of the railway with horse-drawn and river vessels in freight transportation; 2) full control over railway transportation in communication with key points of foreign trade in Manchuria. In the pre-war period, the task of concentrating commodity flows in the port of Dalny was only partially fulfilled, and the CER was able to concentrate only rail transportation on it, while a significant part of the cargo continued to go past the railway through the port of Yingkou into Manchuria by cheaper horse-drawn and river transport. In the post-war period, the loss of the Yellow Sea ports led to the failure of the CER's attempts to establish imports through Vladivostok and to prevent foreign exports to Northern Manchuria.
Keywords: Russian Empire, Manchuria, Chinese Eastern Railway, South Manchurian Railway, Russian-Chinese trade, railway statistics.

Bazar Tsybenov, Institute of Mongolian, Buddhist, and Tibetan Studies, SB RAS, Ulan-Ude, Russia. E-mail: bazar75@mail.ru.
The paper is devoted to the study of the front-line diary of the Soviet officer, Buryat writer Ts. Nomtoev. The author translated fragments of the diary from Buryat into Russian, which served as the basis for further analysis. The work also used the works of Russian historians and archival data from the websites "The Memory of the People" and "Immortal Regiment". The author found out that the diary's daily entries were interspersed with artistic creations, and there are also later additions made by the writer during the post-war period. The central place is occupied by the description of the Battle of Stalingrad, one of the turning points of the Great Patriotic War. The mortar battery of the 321st Rifle Division, where the author of the diary served, was located on the front line of defense, known as the Kletsky bridgehead. The paper analyzes the first days of the division's arrival and deployment in the Don region, its first battles and participation in subsequent military operations, as well as the encirclement and defeat of the fascist group in the autumn and winter of 1942—1943. In the first battles in July — August 1942, the division suffered significant personnel losses but managed to gain advantageous positions and thus hold its defensive lines. The courage and resilience of soldiers and officers, who survived and fell on the battlefield, run as a central theme through the source. The author reconstructs the names and combat paths of some of his comrades-in-arms. Overall, the front-line diary is an informative source on the history of the Battle of Stalingrad and the participation of the 321st (82nd Guards) Rifle Division.
Keywords: Battle of Stalingrad, front-line diary, Ts. Nomtoev, 321st Rifle Division.

Elena Kravchuk, Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnology of the Peoples of the Far East, FEB RAS, Vladivostok, Russia. E-mail: elena-1996_96@mail.ru.
The paper analyzes how the end of World War II is covered in Japan's mass media and political discourse in the context of the 80th anniversary of the event. The anniversary is viewed as a potential milestone in the transition from living memory to cultural memory, which makes issues related to the formation of historical narratives particularly relevant. The paper provides a brief overview of official statements from previous years on the occasion of this commemorative date, including the speeches by Tomiichi Murayama (1995), Junichiro Koizumi (2005), and Shinzo Abe (2015). In 2025, the government discontinued this practice, despite Prime Minister Ishiba's intention to establish an expert commission to analyze the causes that led to the war, on the basis of whose findings a statement was to be issued. The paper also examines the characteristics of projects implemented in the media, revealing two key features: the visualization of historical events through modern technologies and the active involvement of citizens in the process of collecting personal testimonies from family archives. These initiatives reflect attempts to preserve the memory of the war; however, it should be noted that the focus is on Japan's position as a victim rather than an aggressor. In addition, the materials presented on the official website of the Yasukuni Shrine addressing the end of World War II are also examined. The statement by the head of the shrine reveals a duality in the interpretation of the past, characterized by the coexistence of pacifist ideas and elements of militarist discourse.
Keywords: historical memory, Japan, Yasukuni shrine, Shigeru Ishiba, Murayama Statement, World War II, war memory.

Alexander Prasol, Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnology of the Peoples of the Far East FEB RAS, Vladivostok, Russia. E-mail: aprasol@gmail.com.
This paper examines the causes of the high vulnerability of Tokyo Metropolis to river flooding and the modern measures for preventing it. The author emphasizes that the combination of natural factors — intense precipitation, mountainous terrain, rapid runoff, and a high flood potential — creates an exceptionally tense hydrological environment. The central part of Tokyo is located in the so-called "zero-meter zone" which makes it particularly vulnerable to rising water levels during typhoons, storm surges, and levee breaches. Special attention is given to the characteristics of Japanese rivers, which are short, fast-flowing, and prone to sudden, high-intensity floods that can develop within just a few hours. The study considers two main types of engineering structures designed to provide flood protection. Surface-based measures include diversion channels, conventional recreational levees, and large-scale "super levees" that protect urban areas situated at or below sea level. The author analyzes historical examples of catastrophic floods that prompted major engineering interventions and highlights the social and economic challenges associated with such projects, including resident relocation, infrastructure transfer, long construction timelines, and substantial financial costs. Additional attention is given to the interaction between municipal authorities, planning agencies, and local communities, emphasizing the multilayered nature of decision-making processes. A separate section focuses on the world's largest underground flood control facility in Tokyo, a unique engineering complex designed for the rapid diversion of floodwaters. The paper demonstrates that Tokyo's flood prevention system is the result of longterm comprehensive planning and remains a crucial component of metropolitan safety, particularly in the context of increasing climate instability.
Keywords: river floods in Tokyo, flood diversion channels, recreational levees, super levees, underground flood-control facilities.

Marina Osipova, Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera), RAS, Saint Petersburg, Russia. E-mail: ainu07@mail.ru.
The paper is devoted to the sword scabbard as an accessory of Ainu warrior equipment. The Ainu are the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Islands. Both foreign and domestic scholarly literature mentioned sword scabbards briefly, along with the ornamentation applied to the surface of scabbards and their fittings. Researchers mainly focused on the structural features of a sword. Therefore, it seems relevant to examine issues related to the ornamentation of Ainu scabbards, the symbolism of the motifs, and the functional purpose of this object. For the first time in Russian ethnography, an analysis of the ornamental compositions found on Ainu sword scabbards was conducted using an interdisciplinary approach that integrates the methods of ethnography and art history, as well as a symbolic approach interpreting culture as a system of meanings combining the "material" and the "sign". The primary sources of the study were artifacts held in four museums in Russia: the Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera) of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Russian Ethnographic Museum, the Sakhalin Regional Museum of Local Lore, and the Far Eastern Art Museum, as well as ethnographic and folklore materials that had not been translated into Russian. As a result, it was confirmed that Ainu sword scabbards are not only objects serving a utilitarian function but also a form of the "sign", a cultural product that conveys encoded meaning. In this object, the balance between the "material" and the "sign" is equal. Scabbards, as materials objects of the Ainu culture, played an important role in the ritual practices of the people, which is also reflected in the paper. In addition to the main function of the object — to protect a person from the sharp edges of the weapon — the principal function of the ornament was also identified: it served as an amulet protecting the sword's owner from evil spirits that pursued him. The obtained results may serve as a basis for a comparative analysis of a similar element of warrior equipment among the Paleo-Asiatic peoples — the Nivkh of the Amur-Sakhalin region.
Keywords: Ainu, scabbard, ornament, material, sign, symbolism, amulet.