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Currently the China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) attracts the attention of the rest of the world. Two transport corridors, the sea and the land routes, will link China with Europe. For Russia the transportation component of the BRI has gained special significance, because it will allow to unlock the export and transit potential of Russian economy. The eastern transport corridor crossing Transbaikalia is a very interesting project for the Trans-Baikal Territory. One of the priority directions of this project is the possible building of a high-speed railway (HSR). The study purpose is the assessment of the impact of HSR building on the regional landscapes in the context of a) identification and evaluation of risks of loss for the most valuable natural areas and b) necessity of inclusion of these areas in the existing network of natural protected areas. The spatial analysis performed using GIS technologies shows that the HSR project will affect 35% of diversity of the regional landscapes. Fragile natural complexes were revealed among them. Moreover, the greatest impact can be asserted on the “Dzeren Valley” Federal Reserve, a part of natural complexes of which will be covered by the 10-km impact zone. The measures to mitigate and to compensate the negative impact of the new transport infrastructure on the regional geosystems are suggested.

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The article is devoted to the analysis of the economic effects generated by the investments in the economy of the eastern border regions of Russia: the subjects of the Far Eastern Federal District and the Baikal region. Interregional comparisons and contrasts of the economic development indicators for 2011-2018 are given in comparable prices with 2011 as the base year. We discuss the factors hindering the accelerated growth of the economies of these regions. Particular attention is paid to the structure of investments in fixed assets, their effectiveness and impact on the specifics of the socioeconomic development in individual regions. There are multidirectional tendencies in the socioeconomic development of the studied regions. An analysis of investment flows and indicators of socioeconomic development in the eastern regions of the Russian Federation reveals that the existing institutional environment does not yet ensure sustainable economic development in the east of Russia. The integration processes here are hampered by an excessively strong dependence on the federal centre and a focus on specific investors. Therefore, the eastern Russian regions are forced to build their economic policy, focusing on creating attractive conditions for large investors. The stability of economic growth can be ensured only through stable growth of the region population and improvement of the human capital quality. For the successful implementation of large-scale development plans for the east of Russia, it is necessary to stop the processes of depopulation of the territory and maintain optimal proportions between the economic and demographic reproduction.