Emigration and Start-up Setting. New Russian and Ukrainian Intelligentsia in a Historical Perspective

Abstract

AbstractThis chapter describes the current situation of Russian entrepreneurs, on the one hand, and Ukrainian entrepreneurs, on the other hand, who have emigrated to a safe third country due to the warlike conflict and the increasingly repressive attitude of the Russian regime. Four Ukrainian and four Russian entrepreneurs were interviewed in addition to extensive source research. These findings are incorporated into the interpretation. Individual statements are quoted. Due to the delicate nature of statements and at the request of the interviewees, they have been anonymized. The new waves of migration are analyzed and classified in this chapter in a historical context with earlier waves of migration.Since the Russian Federation’s invasion of Ukraine, some 700,000 Russians and 8 million Ukrainians have fled to third countries (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 2023a).According to this source, about 18 million people have left Ukraine of which around 10 million have returned to the country in the meantime. The Russians and Ukrainians are mostly people with good education and corresponding skills in service professions. In this chapter, we present the results of eight interviews, four with Russian emigrants and four with Ukrainian emigrants, and explore the motivations, opportunities, and barriers to building start-ups in exile. The study also describes the integration achievements of previous European migrant flows, as well as the advantages and disadvantages for the respective home countries and for the receiving countries. From this, conclusions can be drawn for the current crisis (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 2023b).Key findings: Both Russians and Ukrainians form networks. It is striking that these networks hardly mingle. “We don’t want to have anything to do with the Russians,” says Tatjana, an exiled Ukrainian in Switzerland. The intention, the rejection of war, and the fear of military service are common to both exile groups. The opportunities and risks of starting a business in the respective foreign countries are also comparable. Russian exiles, on the other hand, tend to be driven to neutral or Russia-friendly countries. Ukrainians, on the other hand, prefer Western countries that condemn the invasion and provide significant financial support to Ukrainians in the form of asylum and refugee status. It is true that the host countries have to bear a heavy burden in the first phase, as accepting so many refugees requires great financial and social efforts. In the medium term, however, it is a significant advantage for the host countries because the admission alleviates the demographically induced shortage of skilled workers and thus promotes economic development. Among the four Ukrainians interviewed who have been granted the right to stay in Switzerland, gratitude toward the host country is very high and is expressed throughout.