Russian IT group Russian Association of Electronic Communication estimates that up to 70,000 Russian IT workers have already fled the nation, with 100,000 more expected to vamoose in the next few weeks. Many mentioning the prospect of being drafted into the armed services and being unable to do their work without internet restrictions.
https://www.theregister.com/2022/03/23/russia_it_pro_exodus/Between 50,000 and 70,000 Russian IT professionals have left the country in recent weeks, and more plan to follow, according to the Russian Association of Electronic Communications, an organization that promotes online businesses.
A Tuesday post by asociation director Sergey Plugotarenko says the exodus is the result of tech workers being denied access to the platforms on which they make their living, because Western sanctions have seen Russian residents denied access to those services as punishment for the illegal invasion of Ukraine.
"Many specialists faced a choice: to leave the country and be able to work with the infrastructure they are accustomed to, or to stay in Russia," Plugotarenko wrote (after machine translation from Russian).
The 50,000–70,000 estimate was gathered from open source intelligence and information offered by professional communities. Plugotarenko added that the association's assessment of the situation suggests a second wave will depart in April and could see another 100,000 techies leave.
Foreign employers, Plugotarenko said, will happily snap up Russian tech workers. He named multinational companies as one threat and startups from the Netherlands, Spain, and Germany as another likely lure for Russian techies.
Freelancers are felt to be especially susceptible to the prospect of a job outside Russia.
