Northern Supply is the lifeline of the Russian Arctic. Without the delivery of fuel, construction materials, medicines, and hundreds of other items, life and production in the Polar Region would be impossible. Following the enactment of the On Northern Supply law, efforts have been underway to establish a fundamentally new system for organizing logistics flows in the Far North of Russia. One of its key elements is the creation of a legal framework to govern the delivery of essential goods to settlements in the realm of permafrost.

In February 2024, the Russian government approved a list of key transport and logistics infrastructure objects for northern supply. This list includes over 150 sections of regional and federal roads, more than 125 railway stations, 16 airports, 21 seaports and 15 river ports, as well as 23 rivers and one lake. These are located not only in the AZRF regions but also in Magadan, Irkutsk, Amur, Omsk, Krasnoyarsk, Sakhalin and Tyumen regions, as well as Perm, Trans-baikal, Khabarovsk, Primorsky Territories together with the Republics of Komi, Altai and Buryatia, all of which will participate in Northern Supply.

The law outlines a set of rules for the infrastructure backbones to ensure uninterrupted delivery. According to paragraph 3 of Article 15 of the Federal Law, the owners of the facilities included in the list are not allowed to refuse cargo transportation and must ensure their full accessibility for the implementation of Northern Supply. In return, owners have the right to help either free of charge or for a fee, and they may receive support from the state. Infrastructure backbones can be financed in various ways — through the federal, regional, or municipal budget, or a combination thereof in different proportions. Private individuals can also contribute to the maintenance of a backbone through a concession agreement under public-private or municipal-private partnership terms. However, participation in this initiative comes with both significant opportunities and substantial responsibilities. As specified in paragraph 2 of Article 17 of the law, from 2026 onwards, funding will be provided at 100% of the standards set by local, regional, or federal authorities. From the state's perspective, underfunding or partial fulfillment of obligations in Northern Supply is unacceptable.  

The main condition is that there should be no delays in transporting first and second category cargoes. These cargoes will have special markings requiring priority service from all parties involved in the transportation process. First category cargoes include life-sustaining goods such as socially important food and non-food items, medicines, fuel, and other fuels and lubricants. Second category cargoes include orders for state and municipal needs.

Annually, under the Northern Supply Program, approximately 3.2 million shipments are sent to the North, with the program's cost reaching a staggering RUB 88.7 billion. Starting from April 1, 2024, the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East and Arctic will take on the role of federal coordinator for the implementation of these measures, with Rosatom anticipated to serve as the sole marine operator.