It was (and still is) lot easier if you're a scientist or a skilled worker. > whether a Russian engineer would be allowed to leave Russia Why not? I live in a

It was (and still is) lot easier if you're a scientist or a skilled worker. > whether a Russian engineer would be allowed to leave Russia Why not? I live in a country that is not US nor Russia and I know few very good Russian engineers. They worked in US too, some of them returned to Russia eventually. So I don't understand where you get your basis. People are allowed to leave Russia they're not trapped (not to mention the many I've met when traveling was allowed)