Who'll stop the brain drain?
Enticing Russian professionals to stay in the country is a priority ­ and a challenge
Yulia Ponomareva - Moscow News - themoscownews.com - 7.24.12 - JRL 2012-134

Corruption and comparatively low living standards ensure that Russia's brain drain continues even in relatively stable economic times ­ and though officials say they will fix the problem, not everyone is convinced they will succeed.

file photo
"A brain drain is only possible in a closed system," the Kremlin's former top ideologist and one of the main masterminds behind the Skolkovo innovation hub, Vladislav Surkov, recently told The Moscow News at a meeting at the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology. "This is why I think that this phrase will soon disappear."

Yet while top officials like Surkov are convinced that they are now close to solving the problem for good, plenty of young Russians ­ particularly those working in science and IT, and often eagerly sought by employers abroad ­ are either thinking of leaving, or have left already.

According to a report published by Kommersant late last year, Russian scientists are frustrated by heavy-handed anti-corruption laws that result in grant bottlenecks, as well as a lack of adequate funding. The Ministry of Education and Science said that the number of Russian scientists currently working abroad is around 25,000, which is a conservative estimate.

The Russian-Speaking Academic Science Association claims that the number is closer to 100,000.

Last year, head of Russia's Audit Chamber, Sergei Stepashin, told Ekho Moskvy that a total of 1.25 million Russian specialists are working abroad.

In the spring of 2012, a report by Federal Migration Service chief Konstantin Romodanovsky stated that an additional 70,000 Russians had left the country in 2011 ­ though it is hard to determine how many of those people left for good, since few renounce their citizenship.

Meanwhile, many young people had hoped that Russia would change significantly under the rule of former President Dmitry Medvedev ­ and with Vladimir Putin back in the Kremlin for a third term, they are disillusioned enough to start packing their bags.

From Norilsk to Seattle

Pavel, who asked that his last name not be used, was born in the early '80s in the polluted Siberian mining town of Norilsk, which he refers to as the "most hideous place on earth." He moved to St. Petersburg after finishing secondary school to continue his education and later found a job at the local branch of Microsoft.

Yet in March of this year, he and his wife, Masha, left Russia. Pavel now works as a senior software development engineer at the Vancouver office of Microsoft and plans to relocate to its Seattle office in October. Pavel hopes to bring his parents to Seattle after he and his wife settle down in the United States.

According to Pavel, in his office in Vancouver, several dozen of employees are waiting for U.S. work visas. Half of them come from Russia and Ukraine.

"I just don't believe my life will do well [in Russia]," Pavel wrote on his blog, which he started three years ago to draw public attention to examples of corruption. "Maybe [my decision will] open up someone's eyes to the truth and in 20 years it will result in a positive change."

Bad roads and waiting lists

"You can do pretty well in Russia if you're a programmer ­ they earn [well] pretty much everywhere ­ but there are things around you that you can't change," Pavel told The Moscow News. "You can create a perfect world at home but there's nothing you can do to have good roads or to reduce waiting lists at kindergartens."

Pavel says Russia's biggest problems are inefficient healthcare and public services, and rampant corruption.

"In Vancouver, an ambulance crew takes three minutes to arrive," Pavel said. "In Russia you can wait for 40 minutes. If you're in a critical condition, you can die."

On his blog, Pavel reported corruption at a medical academy, whose alumni are often given priority places at the St. Petersburg hospital where his grandmother died. "I looked up what the students write on social networks," he said. "Every other conversation is about which professor accepts bribes and how much an exam costs."

Pinning hopes on protesters

"In 2007 I was optimistic about my future in Russia, in 2008 I hoped Putin would leave and the situation would start to improve gradually," Pavel said. "I also hoped that millions of people like me would change the situation for the better. But there are too few of us."

Last year's United Russia congress, where Medvedev announced that he would not run for president was the straw that broke the camel's back. It was at that point that Pavel started searching for a job abroad.

The December protests for fair elections sparked some hope ­ but as turnout dropped, even this hope waned. Pavel believes that the government will continue to tighten the screws and expects opposition leaders, primarily anti-corruption crusader Alexei Navalny, to be jailed.

"I can't imagine what could make me return," Pavel said. "There are two places you can return to ­ Moscow and St. Petersburg. Given traffic, housing, and environmental problems, I don't want to live there when I have the choice not to."

Anna Arutunyan contributed to this report.

Keywords: Russia, Economy - Russia, Population - Russian News - Russia - Johnson's Russia List

Corruption and comparatively low living standards ensure that Russia's brain drain continues even in relatively stable economic times ­ and though officials say they will fix the problem, not everyone is convinced they will succeed.

file photo
"A brain drain is only possible in a closed system," the Kremlin's former top ideologist and one of the main masterminds behind the Skolkovo innovation hub, Vladislav Surkov, recently told The Moscow News at a meeting at the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology. "This is why I think that this phrase will soon disappear."

Yet while top officials like Surkov are convinced that they are now close to solving the problem for good, plenty of young Russians ­ particularly those working in science and IT, and often eagerly sought by employers abroad ­ are either thinking of leaving, or have left already.

According to a report published by Kommersant late last year, Russian scientists are frustrated by heavy-handed anti-corruption laws that result in grant bottlenecks, as well as a lack of adequate funding. The Ministry of Education and Science said that the number of Russian scientists currently working abroad is around 25,000, which is a conservative estimate.

The Russian-Speaking Academic Science Association claims that the number is closer to 100,000.

Last year, head of Russia's Audit Chamber, Sergei Stepashin, told Ekho Moskvy that a total of 1.25 million Russian specialists are working abroad.

In the spring of 2012, a report by Federal Migration Service chief Konstantin Romodanovsky stated that an additional 70,000 Russians had left the country in 2011 ­ though it is hard to determine how many of those people left for good, since few renounce their citizenship.

Meanwhile, many young people had hoped that Russia would change significantly under the rule of former President Dmitry Medvedev ­ and with Vladimir Putin back in the Kremlin for a third term, they are disillusioned enough to start packing their bags.

From Norilsk to Seattle

Pavel, who asked that his last name not be used, was born in the early '80s in the polluted Siberian mining town of Norilsk, which he refers to as the "most hideous place on earth." He moved to St. Petersburg after finishing secondary school to continue his education and later found a job at the local branch of Microsoft.

Yet in March of this year, he and his wife, Masha, left Russia. Pavel now works as a senior software development engineer at the Vancouver office of Microsoft and plans to relocate to its Seattle office in October. Pavel hopes to bring his parents to Seattle after he and his wife settle down in the United States.

According to Pavel, in his office in Vancouver, several dozen of employees are waiting for U.S. work visas. Half of them come from Russia and Ukraine.

"I just don't believe my life will do well [in Russia]," Pavel wrote on his blog, which he started three years ago to draw public attention to examples of corruption. "Maybe [my decision will] open up someone's eyes to the truth and in 20 years it will result in a positive change."

Bad roads and waiting lists

"You can do pretty well in Russia if you're a programmer ­ they earn [well] pretty much everywhere ­ but there are things around you that you can't change," Pavel told The Moscow News. "You can create a perfect world at home but there's nothing you can do to have good roads or to reduce waiting lists at kindergartens."

Pavel says Russia's biggest problems are inefficient healthcare and public services, and rampant corruption.

"In Vancouver, an ambulance crew takes three minutes to arrive," Pavel said. "In Russia you can wait for 40 minutes. If you're in a critical condition, you can die."

On his blog, Pavel reported corruption at a medical academy, whose alumni are often given priority places at the St. Petersburg hospital where his grandmother died. "I looked up what the students write on social networks," he said. "Every other conversation is about which professor accepts bribes and how much an exam costs."

Pinning hopes on protesters

"In 2007 I was optimistic about my future in Russia, in 2008 I hoped Putin would leave and the situation would start to improve gradually," Pavel said. "I also hoped that millions of people like me would change the situation for the better. But there are too few of us."

Last year's United Russia congress, where Medvedev announced that he would not run for president was the straw that broke the camel's back. It was at that point that Pavel started searching for a job abroad.

The December protests for fair elections sparked some hope ­ but as turnout dropped, even this hope waned. Pavel believes that the government will continue to tighten the screws and expects opposition leaders, primarily anti-corruption crusader Alexei Navalny, to be jailed.

"I can't imagine what could make me return," Pavel said. "There are two places you can return to ­ Moscow and St. Petersburg. Given traffic, housing, and environmental problems, I don't want to live there when I have the choice not to."

Anna Arutunyan contributed to this report.