Excellent IT engineers are fleeing from Russia
According to United Nations statistics, as of April 1, 4.13 million people have fled Ukraine following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022. On the other hand, it is reported that a huge number of IT engineers are leaving Russia to avoid economic sanctions and domestic speech control in response to the invasion of Ukraine.
As Russia sees tech brain drain, other nations hope to gain | AP News
The Associated Press reported on April 1, ``By some estimates, up to 70,000 computer experts have left Russia since Russia invaded Ukraine, with many more to follow.'' It is believed that.''
Among Russian engineers, the elite class who can obtain EU visas are said to be moving to Poland and the Baltic countries. Other engineers are also moving to countries where Russians can enter without visas, such as Armenia, Georgia, and the former Soviet states in Central Asia. Concerned about the brain drain, the Russian government approved a bill in March that would eliminate income taxes on individuals working for IT companies until 2024.
Anastasia, a freelance computer systems analyst who was interviewed by The Associated Press on the condition that her pseudonym be used, said, ``When we heard about the war on February 24, my husband and I thought, ``It's time to leave the country.'' 'But I decided to wait and see what happened that day.However, I ended up buying a ticket and leaving the next day.I didn't really worry about it.'' Did. Anastasia said she chose Kyrgyzstan, where her husband's parents live, as the destination.
Explaining why she moved, Anastasia said, ``For as long as I can remember, expressing one's opinion has always been accompanied by fear in Russia. Moreover, news of the war and rising nationalism have made it even more difficult to voice dissent.'' It's being built. So we left before the border crossing became stricter.'
Figures show that many engineers like Anastasia leave Russia. 'The first wave of 50,000 to 70,000 people has already left,' Sergei Pragtarenko, head of the Russian Electronic Communications Association, told a committee meeting in March. 'People may leave Russia.'
Some engineers are leaving Russia due to the deteriorating business environment due to sanctions and other factors. Konstantin Siniushin, managing partner at Untitled Ventures, a technology venture capital fund based in Latvia, said, ``Many foreign companies have rapidly distanced themselves from Russia, so Russian companies with customers overseas High-tech companies are being forced to relocate.'
Some Russian high-tech companies have to leave Russia to survive their businesses, and some research and development staff are transferred from their headquarters in Russia to other countries. To help these people migrate, Untitled Ventures organized two flights to Armenia carrying 300 Russian engineers.
Countries where engineers are moving are beginning to compete for talent. For example, Uzbekistan, a member of the former Soviet Union, radically simplified the process for obtaining work visas and residence permits for IT professionals shortly after the Ukraine war began.
Anton Filippov, a mobile app programmer who decided to move to Uzbekistan, said: ``February 24th woke us up to a different and frightening reality. 'The team was young, all under 27 years old, so I was afraid I might be drafted.'
On the other hand, EU member countries such as Lithuania, which share borders with Russia and Belarus, are reluctant to accept economic refugees due to the risk that Russian government spies and cybercriminals may be mixed in with the IT engineers flowing in from Russia. He is said to be taking a cautious stance.
Despite these concerns, the outflow of engineers from Russia is seen as an opportunity for neighboring countries and Western countries to acquire talented human resources. Mr. Siniushin of Untitled Ventures said, ``The more Europe and the United States steal talent from Russia, the greater the benefits that young Russian innovators will bring to other countries.''
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