Support settlements have become a central element of Russia’s national spatial policy, revealing how the country is managing its vast and uneven geography. As the world’s largest nation, spanning eleven time zones and sharing borders with fourteen countries, Russia has long faced the challenge of maintaining infrastructure, services, and economic activity across a huge and sparsely populated territory. This challenge has grown more complex in recent years due to the war in Ukraine, international sanctions, and disrupted global connections. A newly published study comparing Russia’s 2019 and 2024 spatial development strategies shows a significant shift in how the government is approaching territorial planning. These strategies highlight which areas are expected to grow, which need support, and what the government’s priorities are. In 2019, Russia’s spatial strategy focused on 41 large urban agglomerations—clusters of cities and surrounding areas linked by jobs, transport, and services. These were seen as the engines of economic growth and development. The strategy reflected a belief that concentrating investment, technology, and population in major cities would drive national prosperity. This approach was common globally, with international organizations and urban economists long advocating for the development of large metropolitan regions as centers of innovation and productivity. However, after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, many of the assumptions behind the 2019 strategy became increasingly difficult to maintain. International sanctions, reduced foreign investment, and disrupted trade routes made it harder to sustain the focus on global integration and economic competitiveness. At the same time, Russia faced long-term challenges such as declining population and deep regional inequalities. In this new context, the idea of “support settlements” emerged as a key element of the 2024 Spatial Development Strategy. The 2024 strategy identifies 2,160 support settlements across the country, each with different roles—some provide essential services to surrounding areas, while others are focused on border security, scientific research, or strategic infrastructure. This approach reflects a broader goal of maintaining territorial continuity and presence in regions that might otherwise be neglected. The strategy also highlights areas deemed vulnerable, such as the Arctic, the Far East, and regions bordering countries Russia considers unfriendly. These settlements are meant to ensure that even in areas with weak economic growth, basic services like schools, healthcare, and infrastructure remain accessible. However, maintaining these services is not the same as creating jobs or improving living standards, which remain challenges in many of these settlements.