Alex bought a one-way ticket out of Russia on February 21, shortly after Vladimir Putin recognized the breakaway Ukrainian territories of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent states. A software developer who works remotely for a European technology company, Aleks – who has asked to remain anonymous – says it is a sign that worse things are to come. “I think Putin won’t stop there,” he said. “He may try to take Ukraine by force. That is, basically, what happened. “
Faced with the possibility of crippling sanctions, a plummeting ruble and a drastic turn in the country, Aleks went to the airport with his wife and flew to Georgia, where he has several relatives. He was one of the first Russian tech workers to flee to neighboring countries at the outset of the Ukraine war, but he soon realized he wouldn’t be the last. Over the past few weeks, numerous Russian engineering companies have joined him in Tbilisi, make rents go up. “The real estate market is empty. You can’t find anything, and if you can, you’ll end up paying three or two times what it cost a month ago,” he said. But for now, Aleks’ future lies there. I’m so scared about Russia.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has caused an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, with more than 10 million Ukrainians displaced. flee their country, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. But tens of thousands of people are also leaving Russia, fearing that Putin’s wartime regime will destroy their livelihoods, career prospects and personal freedoms.
Many members of this self-imposed mob are techies. Because of their connection to the global digital economy, they quickly felt the pain of sanctions and the departure of Western tech companies, and they had an easy time making a living. from your laptop regardless of location.
According to RAEK, a Russian technology trade group, between 50,000 and 70,000 tech workers have left Russia, and 70,000 to 100,000 won More may leave in April. With flights to the West cancelled, they have made their way to countries where Russian citizens can still travel visa-free.
Konstantin Vinogradov, the London-born Russian principal of global VC firm Runa Capital, has teamed up with other industry figures to create a “talent pool” website that helps tech workers fight war. competition from Russia, Belarus (which is assisting Moscow’s military deployment), and Ukraine found suitable work elsewhere.
“Mostly they are software engineers and data scientists. There are a lot of people from big Russian tech organizations like Yandex, VK, Sberbank,” Vinogradov said. “But there’s a lot from the smaller ones.”
About 2,000 people entered the pool, and Turkey Armenia and Georgia were the top destinations for those displaced. ONE New York Times the article said that Estimates of the Armenian government that about 80,000 Russians have entered the country since the war began on 24 February, and 20,000 of them still reside there; the Economic Minister of Georgia put that number in the range of 20,000 to 25,000, which is similar to the 2020 figure. Many of these people plan to move elsewhere: 90% of Vinogradov’s talent pool participants pointed to the UK, Germany and the UK. The Netherlands is their preferred final destination.
