Translated material
"The prospect of returning to present Russia is almost seriously considered by anyone." What showed a survey of Russian scientists who left the country
Large social disasters, which are quite possible to attribute the situation in Russian society after the start of the so -called “special military operation” in Ukraine, often stimulate the strengthening of migration moods. A shock from a large -scale social shock, the collapse of a familiar lifestyle, a general sense of uncertainty, and sometimes fear for life encourages many to leave for other countries in search of, if not the best fate, then at least a safe shelter. Therefore, it is not surprising that the flow of Russians who want to leave to live in other countries has increased significantly. And although the exact assessment of the magnitude of this flow is quite difficult, some signs indicate that it is quite large. The authorities of countries with Russia visa -free regime declare dozens of thousands of Russians who have come to them in search of a new life after February 24, 2022. In these countries themselves there are an abnormal increase in the demand for renting housing, apparently caused by the arrival of a large number of our fellow citizens. And in the news feeds, materials on the everyday life and plans of people who left Russia as a result of recent events are increasingly appearing. We can confidently talk about the rather mass departure of Russians from their country.
Context
In this stream of emigrants, at least one narrow segment is distinguished, which is worth talking about in more detail - scientists. It is as difficult to talk about the scale of the emigration of researchers from Russia on the scale of the emigration of researchers from Russia as evaluating the total number of Russians leaving the country. Objective statistics in this area are not conducted. And correct expert assessments of such processes are possible only in a relatively long -term perspective. Nevertheless, there are certain indirect indicators that say that at present, the outflow of promising scientific personnel from Russia can be quite massive. It is characteristic, for example, that already in the first days after the start of the “Special Military Operation” in the Russian -language segment of the Internet, links to at least four databases with information on foreign vacancies and internships for Russian researchers, directly or indirectly affected by the beginning of military conflict in Ukraine, began to spontaneously spread. And the channels created for the replication and discussion of such information in the Telegram service after February 24 began to quickly attract subscribers: at the time of writing this text, 6055 people were signed on the Dear Colleagues channel, 2174 on the Academy in Dangers, and 1879, we can talk about thousands of Russian researchers who show the present moment to the present moment A distinct interest in the development of your career outside of Russia.
Is it a lot or little?
If you look at the question exclusively in the context of reasoning about quantitative indicators, then, of course, you can confidently declare the insignificance of such numbers. The latter at the time of writing this text, the data of the Institute of Statistical Research and the Knowledge of the Higher School of Economics indicate that in 2021 there were more than 350 thousand specialists engaged in scientific development in Russia. And it is obvious that against the backdrop of this number, several thousand scientists showing interest in emigration do not look like an irreparable loss. Especially taking into account the fact that many of those researchers who now declare the desire to leave Russia can actually stay in the country or return to it shortly after their departure.
But, unfortunately, such a logic does not work in relation to science. The confusion of issues raised in modern science and the complexity of the tools, which is used to study them, imposes increased requirements in this field of specialists employed in this area. Effective scientific developments require combining the efforts of a whole many specialists, each of which is already a recognized professional in his field, or has high chances of becoming such a professional in the future. And it is important to consider that every scientist leaving the country leaves not only as a person, but also as the owner of rare, sometimes unique knowledge and skills that he will use in other places after leaving. And if you take this into account, it is obvious that the mood of thousands of Russian scientists for departure may have serious consequences for the development of the country's science.
It is clear that it is a premature to judge exactly what the consequences will be. Soil for such conclusions will appear only after a few months or even years. However, the uniqueness of the current moment is that it allows you to understand in detail the initial impulses of that mass emigration of scientists from Russia, which, apparently, begins right before our eyes. What becomes a key reason for the departure of these people from Russia and what role does the beginning of a “special military operation” play in their decision? Where do they go and what are the prospects of their scientific career in the future? Do they allow returning to Russia and under what conditions? Perhaps now the most favorable moment for finding answers to these important questions.
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