Tech Employees in Ukraine Face Relocation Amidst Movement from Russian Troops
In recent years, Kharkiv, Ukraine has become a tech hub for companies who have decided to outsource and hire local engineering talent. Located just 30 miles from the Russian border, the city lies extremely close to the country threatening an invasion at any moment.Ukrainian tech CEO Vlad Panchenko flew over 100 of his employees from Kyiv to Montenegro, saying, “nobody can predict what the person who is ruling Russia will be doing.” Panchenko, who oversees metaverse company DMarket, has budgeted for a relocation of two months, with hopes that the measure is temporary.
Other businesses are making similar moves. Wix, a top website builder, has offered to evacuate their 1,000 Ukraine-based staff and their families to Turkey for at least two weeks. Cimpress, which invests in companies that sell customizable goods, offered to evacuate its 500 staff members to another country, or further west within the border.
Not everyone agrees with the use of domestic relocation efforts. “Moving employees to Western Ukraine won’t keep you safe from cyberattacks. Russia has complete control [over] Ukraine’s infrastructure,” says Marco Bellin, CEO of Datacappy.
The high threat of Russian military action in Ukraine led U.S. President Biden to tell Americans who are currently occupying the nation to leave voluntarily. The president is not planning a military operation to help American citizens leave, explaining that, “a military-run evacuation would be extremely complicated,” in an interview with NBC News’ Lester Holt.
The Ukrainian government and businesses operating within the country have received more than $48 billion in bilateral and multilateral economic support from Western allies since tensions with Russia have escalated. As of Feb. 18, U.S. and European companies operating in Ukraine have created contingency plans, but did not order their employees to relocate.
As relations between Ukraine and Russia continue to weaken, the impact on the tech sector is one of many areas being affected. Relocating tech workers away from an impending crisis could be the best move for their safety. However, the ability to leave the country is less feasible for Ukraine nationals.
This article was written just prior to Russia invading Ukraine.