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The COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected all countries and the global scientific agenda, particularly that of health, economy, environment, geography and geosciences in general. This Special Issue is also a contribution to the global efforts of the scientific community in the analysis of the geography of the COVID-19 pandemic with public health, economic and environmental consequences. Two blocks of papers are considered: (1) the socio-spatial, statistical and geographical analysis of COVID-19 distributions; and (2) the impacts of the pandemic lockdown on the environment, air pollution, and the quality of water.

The natural and socio-economic characteristics of the territory play a decisive role in the spread of the pandemic of COVID-19. It provoked a restructuring process in practically all fields of the social life. Its main areas were laid before the pandemic, but the changes were sharply accelerated by the pandemic. In analyzing a number of Russian and foreign publications, the authors discuss the main areas and methods of human-geographical study of the development and consequences of the pandemic. The constantly growing flow of publications in this field can be divided into three major parts: studies of the spatial spread of infection on the different stages; analysis of demographic, (geo) political and economic implications of the pandemic, and attempts to forecast the impact of social and technological changes accelerated by it on territorial structures. The authors note in particular that the geopolitical picture of the world with the division of countries into developed and developing, rich and poor, authoritarian and democratic, Eastern and Western, became much less clear. The most obvious geopolitical consequence of the pandemic is the further fragmentation of the political and socio-economic space. Not only state, but often also administrative boundaries have turned into almost insurmountable barriers for people and trade. The COVID crisis has opened new opportunities for a reasonable combination of the concentration of social life in the «archipelago» of large cities and the development of other territories.

Though the agreement on ceasefire between Armenian and Azerbaijani troops in Nagorno-Karabakh was concluded more than 25 years ago, there is no progress in the negotiations between the sides. The conflict is intrinsically related to the partition of territory between the areas de facto controlled by the non-recognized Republic of NagornoKarabakh, boundaries of which do not match the administrative borders of Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region in the Soviet period, and Azerbaijan. This paper considers the geopolitical situation of Nagorno-Karabakh through the lenses of its cross-border interactions and bordering. This notion widely used in contemporary border studies means not only border delimitation and management, but also the constant process of change in their functions, regime, and social importance. Such change can result, for instance, from the transformation of political strategies, shifts on the international arena and bilateral relations, currency exchange rates and global market prices, as well as in the course of the everyday practice and interactions. The authors analyzed first the existing pattern of borders in the context of security. Then they characterized de-bordering and interactions between Nagorno-Karabakh and its patron state, Armenia, describing the adaptation of the Karabakhi population and economy to the lack of international recognition. The demarcation line with Azerbaijan remains one of the rare cases of a completely closed border. One of the main and potentially long-term obstacles in finding a solution is the cultivation of the «image of the enemy» on both sides of this border.

The article examines the impact of the political crisis between Russia and Ukraine on the development and interaction of the regions of the Russian-Ukrainian borderlands. The backgrounds that lead to the political confl ict between the two states are briefl y analyzed. Changes in socioeconomic indicators of the neighboring regions are evaluated, as well as the state of cross-border interactions and adaptation of the economy and social sphere to the changed conditions in fi ve key areas. It was established that the gradients between the neighboring regions in all parts of the RussianUkrainian borderland increased signifi cantly. The sharpest gradients in 2016 were identifi ed on the border sections between the Belgorod and Kharkov regions, Rostov and Donetsk regions. At the same time, economic and social interactions, though weakened, do not cease completely and retain the potential opportunity for restoring cooperation, given favorable conditions arise.

Research on post-Soviet borders emphasizes the need to combine traditional and relatively new approaches to border studies. For Russia, of special importance are the European Union (EU) borders accounting for almost half of the country’s international trade. The border districts of Russia and the neighboring EU countries have become natural drivers of regional integration processes. The post-Soviet history of the Russia-EU borderlands has shown dynamism and large dependence on the geopolitical situation, asynchronous changes in the border functions and regimes on different segments, dissimilar economic development rates, asymmetry in interactions between the parties, and a combination of debordering and rebordering processes. Over the past years, the deteriorating geopolitical situation and the economic crisis in Russia increased the risks of a stricter border regime and a significant reduction in border traffic. It is worth examining the correlation of stability and dynamism factors in the border situation. An important factor ensuring the persistence of current differences and problems is the inertia of the settlement system and territorial economic structure at all levels. These factors determine the fluctuations in demographic and socioeconomic indicators and thus contribute to the “difference of potential” ensuring border traffic. The authors analyze the impact of gaps in demographic and socioeconomic indicators on different segments of the Russia-EU border, as well as the asymmetry in transboundary interaction, on their stability in the period of increasing political tensions in 2014-2015. Special attention is paid to the effect of these interactions on the social development and everyday life in the Russian borderlands. It is stressed that, even in the conditions of a serious political crisis and reciprocal sanctions, the barrier functions of the Russia-EU border increased insignificantly. The driving force behind border interactions is pragmatism, which makes it possible for border districts to attract additional resources to solve local problems.

This is an introductory paper to the special issue on “The spatial transformation of the urban environment in the conditions of post-industrial development of society” conference dedicated to the 100th anniversary of Jean Gottmann. The conference was held at the Institute of Environmental Management, territory development and urban planning of the Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, Kaliningrad, Russia. The special issue presents a number of scientific papers, which represent different view angles on regional development in the context of globalization.

Thin Sb2Te films with a thickness gradient were studied via transmission electron microscopy. The processes of forced crystallization were examined with thermal annealing and an electron beam. The crystallization’s general tendencies, including competitive nucleation and growth crystallization, were revealed. As the thickness of the sample increases, the size of the crystals growing in the film enlarges. As the temperature increases, the number of crystals in the film grows. Crystallization under the action of an electron beam occurs mainly by nucleation mechanism.