Highly Educated Men Escaping Russia Headed to Mediterranean Island Cyprus

Favorable Open Policy for Foreign Companies... Easy Immigration Procedures and Low Tax Rates
Continued Migration of IT Professionals... Increased Overseas Outflow of Russian High-Tech Talent

According to The Washington Post (WP), Cyprus has emerged as a refuge for highly educated Russians fleeing their country to avoid the mobilization order by Russian authorities. Photo by Getty Images

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] Since Russia's conscription order, highly educated Russians working in the information technology (IT) sector have been migrating to the remote Mediterranean island of Cyprus.

According to the Washington Post (WP) on the 23rd (local time), Cyprus has emerged as one of the few remaining refuges for Russians fleeing their country to avoid the Russian authorities' mobilization order.

Earlier, at the end of September, when Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a mobilization order for 300,000 people, hundreds of thousands of Russians forced a 'Russian Exodus' to neighboring countries to avoid it.

They fled to places such as Georgia and Kazakhstan. Some young people with 'Schengen visas,' which allow free movement between countries, reportedly left for European countries like Finland and Norway.

However, as a large number of Russians crossed borders, Kazakhstan reached saturation, and Turkey recently imposed strict conditions such as opening bank accounts for prospective immigrants.

Currently, European Union (EU) member states have also tightened their borders against Russians. They no longer issue Schengen visas to Russians and have strengthened entry procedures, leaving Russian men with few options.

Among them, Cyprus, the easternmost EU member state, is emerging as a new refuge for Russians. Immigration procedures are relatively easy, tax rates are low, and open policies are in place to attract many foreign businesspeople.

Moreover, Cyprus has long been favored by wealthy Russians and companies due to its beautiful Mediterranean island beaches.

As a result, the number of migrants has been increasing since the mobilization order. WP reported that after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in late February, Russia's middle and upper-class highly educated individuals flocked to Cyprus, followed recently by a second wave of IT personnel.

Oleg Reshetnikov, who settled in 2014 and created an online community called 'CypRus_IT,' said, "Cyprus shows no signs of changing its immigration policy toward Russians," adding, "It remains one of the top immigration destinations." He estimated that up to 50,000 Russian speakers have migrated to Cyprus since the outbreak in February.

Meanwhile, WP pointed out that the Russian government’s various incentives to prevent the outflow of highly skilled workers have failed. The media noted that Russia, concerned about the brain drain, has been offering incentives such as low-interest real estate loans and recently military service exemptions, but the outflow of personnel continues amid the war.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.