<
https://fortune.com/2022/08/20/russia-brain-drain-young-russians-leaving-after-ukraine-war-putin/>
"Three months ago, Sonya, a 25-year-old who works at a major mobile gaming
company and moonlights as a tutor, made one of the toughest decisions of her
life: She left Russia.
She had an old but cozy communal apartment with her boyfriend and two other
roommates in Moscow’s city center, a tight-knit group of friends, and spent
several days a week taking classes at a local dance academy—her lifelong
passion.
“It’s my home. My family, friends are there. My whole life. How can you
possibly abandon all these things?” she told Fortune.
But like countless other young educated Russians, Sonya, who asked that only
her first name be used, packed her bags and fled the country after Russia
invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24.
Over 3.8 million Russians left from January to March this year, according to
the Federal Security Services’ own estimates. Some left for work or travel
reasons, but many also left because of Russia’s war on Ukraine. Other estimates
put the number of people who left because of the war at 300,000 to 3.8 million.
The exact number is still unknown. A recent survey from non-governmental
organization OK Russians says that the average age of Russians who left the
country after Feb. 24 is 32 years old, while 80% of them have a higher
education degree.
And as the war approaches its six month anniversary, the country is
experiencing a second wave of outward migration, as individuals and families
who needed more time to wrap up their lives are now leaving. And although the
estimates vary widely, this year’s mass exodus from the country is comparable
to the initial emigration out of Russia when the Soviet Union collapsed and 1.2
million Russians left in 1992 and 1993. Russia’s current, large-scale brain
drain of young, skilled and educated citizens, could decimate sectors from
journalism, to academia, and technology, experts say."
Via Joerg Fliege.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
