Digital inequality in Russian regions: from a gap in access to a gap in outcomes

The article presents the results of a study on the impact of digital inequality on the socio-economic development of Russian regions. A sample of 11 Russian regions — leaders and laggards in digital development — is analysed across infrastructure access, digital competencies, the uptake of digital services, and economic indicators. The analysis shows that the access gap (20–27 percentage points in household broadband penetration) is shallower than the outcomes gap (fivefold differences in GRP per capita): the conversion of access into economic benefits is mediated by competencies and industrial structure. It is substantiated that bridging digital inequality requires, beyond network deployment, targeted digital literacy programmes, the integration of telemedicine and educational services, and the promotion of digitalisation of small and medium-sized businesses in lagging regions.