The political climate has tended to repulse the brainiest Russians
began on February 24th, tens of thousands of Russians have hurriedly left their homes, travelling to any nearby destination that will allow them in visa-free; one prominent economist estimated that at least 200,000 had fled by the second week of March. Georgia alone has reportedly accepted about 30,000. This stampede for the exits greatly accelerates a trend that has been on the rise for years.
Between 2000, when Vladimir Putin first became president, and 2019, 1.6m-2m Russians have left the country . These numbers are not in themselves surprising; in the turbulent decade after 1989 about 2.5m left. But since 2011-12 the rate of emigration has increased sharply —and the profile of those leaving has changed dramatically. In 2012 Mr Putin took over the presidency again after an election marked by fraud and protests, confirming Russia’s authoritarian turn.
Moreover, the political climate has tended to repulse the brainiest Russians. Those who have left since 2000 were mostly aged between 25 and 45 and highly educated. The evidence available suggests the scale of the brain-drain. Of the hundreds surveyed by the Atlantic Council, 36% had a master’s degree or a doctorate. Laws passed by Mr Putin’s government to restrict the ability of scientists to collaborate internationally and to conduct public outreach have encouraged many on their way.
Russian émigrés are behind some of the world’s most successful digital start-ups, such as Revolut, a mobile-banking app based in London co-founded by Nikolay Storonsky. It was valued at $33bn in 2021. Miro, a software publisher started by two Russian entrepreneurs, is now worth about $18bn. Those tech workers remaining in Russia have been among the most vocal opponents of the Ukraine war.
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