MOSCOW, March 26. /TASS/. The Arkhangelsk Region plans to use at least one unmanned boat in the coming summer for regular cargo delivery to the Solovki Islands. Currently, work is underway to attract potential shippers, including Wildberries, an online trading platform, the region's Minister of Economic Development and Industry Evgenia Shelyuk said.
In July 2025, results of an unmanned boat's test voyage confirmed the option of autonomous cargo delivery to hard-to-reach territories, including the Solovetsky Archipelago. "We plan to use at least one unmanned boat during this year's summer navigation. Not like it was last year, when we conducted a test. It will be a full-fledged cargo delivery line on the Arkhangelsk - the Solovki Islands - Arkhangelsk route. We have been working to attract potential shippers," she told the Federation Council's meeting on use of unmanned and robotic systems in the Far East and the Arctic.
The minister continued by saying Wildberries and the Russian Post are interested in unmanned cargo delivery to the islands, and the authority continues negotiations with a company responsible for municipal waste transportation.
The use of unmanned boats will have a positive impact on the quality of life in remote northern territories, she said. "The duration of the test voyage (of the boat along the route) was 21 hours. The unmanned boat completed most of the journey in automatic mode, and successfully completed several maneuvering tasks. Most importantly, the cargo was delivered safely. The experiment has shown that this area's development is quite promising for us, as a region using the Northern Supplies program (of bringing in cargo for the coming winter during summer navigation), and for similar regions. With the right approach, our experience, we believe, may be scaled to other Arctic regions," the minister added.