The Russian Association for Electronic Communications stated that between 50,000 to 70,000 IT professionals living in Russia have left the country as a result of the invasion and the heavy sanctions from other countries and companies. The most popular countries they are leaving for are Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Armenia, Georgia, and the Baltics.
The second wave
The Russian Association for Electronic Communications also stated that another 70,000 to 100,000 IT staff are already looking for an opportunity to leave the country. Russia’s Ministry of Digital Development stated that it will exempt IT companies from income tax and inspections to stop the professionals fleeing the country. The Ministry also stated that software developers are receiving a deferment from military conscription.
The heavy effect of the sanctions on Russia’s public sector played an important role in this situation. Russia may face a hardware and software shortage soon, which may also affect the infrastructure negatively. Sergey Plugotarenko, head of the Russian Association for Electronic Communications said,
« The only thing holding back the second wave is that there are expensive tickets, housing has grown, no one is waiting for Russians, and there is no financial connectivity, it is impossible to conduct transactions. »