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HN call for help: Thousand of IT specialists flee Russia as job market collapses

220 points by smugglerFlynn 5y ago

Hello hn. I believe that situation on Russian IT market is not being represented 100% clear right now in Europe and US. Yesterday I had to emergently evacuate my family from Moscow on a flight to Dubai, leaving behind my apartment, car and my whole life. Every single one of the people I know in IT considers doing the same, or is already in the process (I have 12+ years of networking in this industry, this is fully subjective, but should be representative evnough - I talked to more than 50 people I know directly). Out of my close friends 50% have either already left, or purchasing tickets as you read that. Every single person I know has either full blown panic attacks, averages 2hr of sleep per night, or has extreme anxiety. Four close friends whom I met through IT are hiding from bombs in Kiev and Sumy. Every single one is shocked by decisions made by authoritative Russian government with no care for peoples lives, either in Ukraine or in Russia itself. As you read this, laws are being arranged to set criminal charges even for things like acknowledging the war. My whole investment portfolio got frozen in the St. Pete stock exchange for indefinite period and little hope to get them back. On February 27 I was lucky to quickly get a $10k loan in rubles and purchase already expensive dollars to mitigate the risks, right before inflation skyrocketed to %20+. Most people are not that lucky, and banks have tightened any loans. My salary has already devalued by 50% after one week of war. If anyone can provide any help, Russian IT community needs it. Please reach in comments below by providing your contacts and type of help you can offer, I will do my best to connect you with Russian-speaking communities on Telegram: three of them are communities of developers with 10k+ people in each of them. _Any_ help with remote work or relocation offers to UAE, Georgia, Turkey, Serbia would be immense. You can also reach me directly on 224.0.0.25@gmail.com Hacker news, this is a crisis of extreme proportions. Please, we need your help.

coryfiteni 5y ago
valerotti 5y ago
I think Ukrainian IT need more help. People lost not only job, they lost homes, life, relatives and any future.
- smugglerFlynn 5y ago
  There is a huge Russian-speaking community in Ukraine. Most non-regional IT communities in Telegram have lots of Ukrainian people, many relocated back and forth between two countries in the past. Long story short: this post has no aim to focus on helping only Russians, if you have resources to support any kind of IT relocation regardless of nationality, please step forward.
- Klaster_1 5y ago
  Nobody denies that, but I don't think it's an "either or" situation. Resources spent on helping the fleeing and dislocated people to organize, like networking and bootstrapping communities in foreign countries, wouldn't have necessary been spent on Ukrainian developers help. They are likely to benefit from this too.
  - dustymcp 5y ago
    I just dont think there is much goodwill with russia right now and righly so, i understand the population is not to blame but who else kept and elected the dictator, at some point you just have to say No and thats what is happening now on a global scale so russians will actually feel their governments actions. In sorry this hits you but enough is enough..
    - smugglerFlynn 5y ago
      Man, not to start political flame here, but you have no idea how many tricks they use to bend your mind and force you to fear authority. We had no real election over the last 18 years, even the one on 2000 was fueled by fear and manipulated people to vote for a certain candidate. It was all downhill from there. We had constitution revised in a major way twice just by popular vote, with all edits being made to keep people in power staying in power and destroying institutions.
    - iancmceachern 5y ago
      This is the first, and most important thing I learned from my grandfather. He was at pearl harbor when it was bombed, he was in a submarine under Tokyo bay during the war, he was part of many battles in the pacific, and finally nearly killed in a collision and received the purple heart among other medals. He was then part of the occupation of Japan after the war. What did he decide to teach me after all that? That the Japanese people are/were good people that were fooled and otherwise coerced (forced) into the war by evil leaders. Much like Russia today. I've carried this with me my whole life. And will continue to try to spread it around (compassion).
drguy33 5y ago
i have a web3 startup and live in Tbilisi. We are looking for a few devs for a small project. if you know any who have landed here, please let me know. TG/Whatsapp: +7 985 614-16-87
- smugglerFlynn 5y ago
  relayed <3
gostsamo 5y ago
I'm in Bulgaria and locally there is a big dev need. Everyone is welcome. I'm sorry that you and many other innocent people have to suffer in this madness. Contact me on the same twitter handle as this hn one for nonpublic info.
- smugglerFlynn 5y ago
  Dzhovani, you are a legend. Thanks for your support.
azZy28 5y ago
There are lots of smart and experienced IT guys who is not supporting this war, and government in general. Many of them participated in protests and tried to stop it, but it failed. And now it is dangerous to stay here (( P.S. I do agree - Ukrainians in even more need. Supporting them with just a work outside of Russia - will help a lot.
- smugglerFlynn 5y ago
  Exactly, we cannot support each other if one of us hides in shelter, and another has 0 money or is mobilized to “fight for motherland”
- kolyaflash 5y ago
  "not supporting this war" -- means nothing to your future and the future of your family. Stop saying it. Support stopping the war! "I do agree - Ukrainians in even more need." -- oh, really? Getting someone's country with its people demolished and that's funded by your taxes is "even more"?
drunkenmagician 5y ago
Telepathy Labs in Singapore is hiring Full Stack / Backend / DevOps Engineers Job details on LinkedIn, we’d welcome experienced and qualified professionals from Ukraine or Russia Disclaimer: I work there / hiring manager
- smugglerFlynn 5y ago
  Thanks a lot for that! I’m relaying this to our telegram.
- GameOfFrowns 5y ago
  Cool company name, by the way!
Nextgrid 5y ago
Are there sanctions that we should be aware of when hiring Russian contractors?
- smugglerFlynn 5y ago
  That’s up to your local regulations, none from Russian side that I know of (so far)
- tinbka 5y ago
  You can't pay to any Russian bank using SWIFT, Wise, Payoneer, Paxum, and probably any other MC/WU/Amex/Visa powered platforms, since recently. Other than that - no.
  - Ingaz 5y ago
    SWIFT will disconnect in 12th of March banks from sanction list. Not "any Russian bank". Of course it's possible that in future all Russian banks will be under sanctions. Right now even bank transfers between Russia and Ukraine works fine. My ex-girlfriend still has a way to support her parents in Kyiv. If you meant possibility of total blockade: it's probable. Zelensky campaigns exactly for that. At least his ideas more realistic than Macron voiced: to block bitcoins in Russia.
rev1akarevvie 5y ago
claudiug 5y ago
I think Ukrainian IT need more help
- smugglerFlynn 5y ago
  I’m copying here my reply to a similar comment. There is a huge Russian-speaking community in Ukraine. Most non-regional IT communities in Telegram have lots of Ukrainian people, many relocated back and forth between two countries in the past. Long story short: this post has no aim to focus on helping only Russians, if you have resources to support any kind of IT relocation regardless of nationality, please step forward.
nnurmanov 5y ago
I am helping with relocate to Kazakhstan, send me the details at info@withpublic.com
- smugglerFlynn 5y ago
  Thanks <3! I’m relaying this info to our telegram.
jdrc 5y ago
has it become impossible to work remotely from russia?
- smugglerFlynn 5y ago
  I assume you mean staying abroad while keeping working for the Russian company. You need to understand the scale. Just today Yandex (one of the largest IT companies in Russia, think “Russian Google”) has announced[0] they are at risk of default. That’s 10 000 people, and Yandex is not the only large IT company. Companies like EPAM also have plans to evacuate people, that’s north of 30k people in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia and it is not clear how many layoffs there will be. 0 — https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/5240531 https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/5240531
  - jdrc 5y ago
    what about the other way around (living in russia working remotely)
    - smugglerFlynn 5y ago
      People fear what happens next, those who can do their best to leave. We focus on it as it seems to be a major crisis. But you are right, people who stay will need help as well.
    - cguess 5y ago
      Good luck getting paid. The banks are pretty much all under sanctions. There's no SWIFT transfers, so no deposits from abroad.
  - veganhouseDJ 5y ago
    The whole Russian economy is going to collapse. Gazprom is down 87% in Europe since the Russian markets were open. That is a giant energy company with oil up huge. The ruble took another massive hit again last night. Any Russian financial company is probably already wiped out. I wouldn't be shocked if the market doesn't open next week, it is not reopening and everything is going to have to be nationalized. We have never seen this before with a modern economy. In the 1929 market crash 25% of the US population were still farmers. Russia is 5% farmers. Most people are directly exposed to the fragility of the modern economy.
smugglerFlynn 5y ago
We now have over 197 resumes posted just today in the past 7 hours by people in despair: https://t.me/joinchat/AAAAAE3nUawZ4YX6AtDCFg https://t.me/joinchat/AAAAAE3nUawZ4YX6AtDCFg
- atmosx 5y ago
  A web resource would be easily shared IMO, while telegram requires ppl to download the app and join.
  - smugglerFlynn 5y ago
    Already working on it. If anyone is interested in contribution - message me.
    - NicoJuicy 5y ago
      No pm functionality here
      - smugglerFlynn 5y ago
        email is at the end of the post
hau 5y ago
I can confirm everything you said about state of IT industry, it matches my experience. Our team is in process movingto Bulgaria thanks to BESCO (write letter to them right now if Bulgaria is an option for you). We are getting some help acquiring visas fast, but getting tickets out of Russia is harder with every minute (literally). We are leaving all our lives behind and fleeing in shock, hoping one day to be able to return, to help those who couldn't leave. Stay strong.
sdoering 5y ago
Working for SinnerSchrader (part of Accenture Interactive). We have an office in Prague. And due to Corona do mostly remote stuff. We are looking for tech people [0]. I have no idea if anything might work out. But it might be a chance. [0]: https://sinnerschrader.jobs/en/ https://sinnerschrader.jobs/en/
- FabianBeiner 5y ago
  I hope that Accenture actually thought of this when they terminated the 2,000+ people they had in Russia a few days ago.
  - sdoering 5y ago
    I agree. We (regular employees and even our Management) have no idea what Accenture meant when the leadership mentioned that they intend to care for these people. We all hope to receive more clarification on that part. Personally I might understand that this is a difficult situation even if all involved persons really mean well (and from what I could experience especially the Accenture leadership are actual well meaning people - at least the ones I got to know). While also navigating difficult political waters. How do you pay people without Swift? What can be done to help our (now sadly former) Russian colleagues without putting them in danger for working for a US/western company? Can you transfer people? But still - how to pay them? I don't have any more insights than the official communications from HQ. But I still am hopeful that as much as is possible is being done. But yeah - the situation is s*t. Sorry for the language. (and all that coming from me who has quite a difficult view on/relationship with our parent organization)
    - smugglerFlynn 5y ago
      Swift only hurts couple of banks which are under sanctions, and only transactions done over swift. Money transfers are not fully blocked. I highly doubt this is the real reason.
- smugglerFlynn 5y ago
  relayed <3
qnsi 5y ago
Bro, we put sanctions on you for a reason, not to help you after they hurt you.
- ww_wpg 5y ago
  It definitely hurts Russia if their most talented workers relocate out of the country
  - qnsi 5y ago
    sure, but hes asking for remote work as well, for those staying in Moscow. I think its very funny, him speaking about 2hours a day, like his in grave danger. He didnt mention anything about being presecuted. I happen to know people stuck in Ukraine fearing for their life so please excuse me that I find it hard to emphatize with him. I would feel bad if he dint overstate how bad his situation is.
    - throwaway_4ever 5y ago
      This person is fleeing their home of decades, their family and friends, for the unknown with barely anything to start from the ground somewhere. Did you expect them to single-handedly take Putin down themselves? If they didn't vote for Putin, they have my utmost sympathy and I wish I could help. Anti-Putin Russians are also lesser victims in this war on Ukraine. Remember, protesting Putin and the war can now lead to 15 years in a Russian gulag.
    - smugglerFlynn 5y ago
      Maybe I was not 100% clear on that. People who look for remote work need it to stay somewhere _outside_ of Russia and work remotely from there. Relocation is no easy feat, at least to do it quickly. Especially with half of the flights out of Russia being shut down.
- iExploder 5y ago
  "bro" we put sanctions on the gov not to hurt your everyday Ivan. Its not like they live in a democracy and russians can just do anything about their dictator gov.
908B64B197 5y ago
Honest question here: Have you considered, as an able-bodied young man, doing the honorable thing and "cleaning up" your country? Young American patriots did the same back in 1776. Maybe it’s time for your people and country to enter the modern era.
- muzika 5y ago
  The problem is that over 50% of Russian people stand behind Putin. They get their news and political views from watching state-run TV.
  - cipher_system 5y ago
    Surely his approval ratings must have taken a massive hit? The OMON, military and state media will also loose their life savings and suffer under the war and sanctions. There's just so much protests they can handle and with more and more people with nothing left to loose, the momentum can quickly overwhelm them. It's not gonna be easy but you're running out of options. Best of luck if you choose to fight.
- smugglerFlynn 5y ago
  I’ll leave this one for the audience.
- vertis 5y ago
  I'm going to link to a thread by a Belarusian today on twitter[0]. It sheds light on Belarus which is applicable to Russia. Highly recommended read. [0]: https://twitter.com/AlinaLeonovaSF/status/1499457928562102274 https://twitter.com/AlinaLeonovaSF/status/149945792856210227...
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
- burntoutfire 5y ago
  These two situations are literally not comparable at all. For one thing, England didn't have massive police and secret police force estabilised in its American colonies which could just immediately disappear any people who are starting to organize any kind of resistance. The Russian despots were always extremely good at snuffing out any internal resistance, that's how they stayed in power for centuries.
mattbrewsbytes 5y ago
Regardless of someones stance on the situation, some questions as it relates to a knowledgeable IT/Software person fleeing a country and the logistics of getting paid might help us all. * What method(s) of payment are capable of receiving that could help? * Are you able to establish a bank account in another country or is it down to cash or crypto? If crypto, do you have a way to reliably withdraw into local currency for food/shelter? * Do you require special work visa's? Or is the only alternative a "under the table" (i.e. off the books/unofficial) type of arrangement? * If someone were able to hire/pay for work, what assurances are there that you can produce work on a daily basis? (I assume risks include many things if someone is mobile, doesn't have internet, etc.)
faebi 5y ago
How hard is it for Russians to get a work Visa in the EU or Schengen? You might make it to St. Petersburg and then just cross over to Finnland or Estonia. It's just 200km to their capitals. IT people are still in strong demand especially if your salary expectation are below average.
- olegious 5y ago
  My understanding is that EU has stopped all visa processing for Russians.
  - iovrthoughtthis 5y ago
    this sucks :(
burntoutfire 5y ago
> Yesterday I had to emergently evacuate my family from Moscow on a flight to Dubai, leaving behind my apartment, car and my whole life. What happened? Were you in danger?
- EVa5I7bHFq9mnYK 5y ago
  At any time now a martial law can be declared in Russia, closing borders, interning foreign citizens, conscripting any male 18-60 to serve as cannon fodder in Ukraine, confiscating savings etc.
- wildzzz 5y ago
  If I had a choice between being locked out of my investments and in a country where the economy is falling apart or being locked out of my investments and in a much more stable country, I'd pick the latter. I'd be out of work regardless but at least there would be some near term chance of job opportunity somewhere other than Russia.
- GameOfFrowns 5y ago
  Following the news I'd guess that the situation in Russia is deteriorating rapidly, especially with the currency becoming worthless and accounts being frozen. Who knows what kind of draconian laws the authorities will come up with to counter the coming social unrest? Better leave now while you can still afford it.
  - smugglerFlynn 5y ago
    We already know. Over the past days they have criminalized most of the ways to convey information about the conflict, with 10-20 years of imprisonment. As a side-consequence, most of the non-government press in Russia does not exist anymore.
vaidhy 5y ago
I am reposting my "who is hiring" post - we are hiring remote. We are a startup building high performance machine learning systems on CPUs. Our core technologies are hash-based algorithms that accelerate neural network training and high dimensional near neighbor search. We are looking for engineers with 3+ years of experience building and shipping high performance systems. Machine learning and C++ experience is a big plus, and definitely tell us about any AI publications you have, we’re interested! If building a new set of machine learning tools from scratch sounds fun to you, get in touch! Feel free to email me vaidhy [at] thirdai.com. Our website is under active reconstruction using Hugo (that’s how early stage we are), but feel free to find out more about us at https://www.thirdai.com https://www.thirdai.com
- smugglerFlynn 5y ago
  Thanks, sent this information to our teams
z3wasoft3r 5y ago
<rant> Some of the responses on this thread are appalling. Misanthropes are dehumanising people based on nationality. I wonder: Does every German bear responsibility for WW2? Does every US citizen bear responsibility for the genocide in Yemen (I could about 60 countries here...)? Does every Ukrainian bear responsibility the Azov regiment crimes? WTF is wrong with you ppl? Get your shit together. You're acting as if a 5-year old in Russia is a lesser human being compared to a 5 year old in Ukraine. They're both 5-year olds. </rant>
- vertis 5y ago
  Blessed or cursed by where you are born. These people are leaving Russia because they will get thrown in jail for protesting. They're at high risk of conscription in a war that don't agree to. I have spoken to Russians and Belarusians over the last few days. They're against what their government is doing. Leaving is one of the only options. In some ways, IT leaving is worse for Russia than just the sanctions. That 'talent' will never return. That loss will linger.
- 908B64B197 5y ago
  > Does every German bear responsibility for WW2? A generation of Germans made the choice not to let the past define them, and through hard work bootstrapped themselves and their country to become a leader for human rights, democracy and economy. Time for citizens of Russia and its allies to make the same decisions.
  - Kelteseth 5y ago
    Yes, but this was after we lost the war (thank god). This change came not from within. The absolute vast majority supported the Nazi party until the end. You can read about it here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denazification https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denazification
- smugglerFlynn 5y ago
  Thanks for that. Maybe we should make a table with a no. of victims per country so we can distribute blame more fairly? Can also probably automate and gamify this. Good thing most leaders who made these decisions are gone and we can shift anger to actual citizen instead.
hogrider 5y ago
Probably sounds crazy but if you speak English you probably can adjust and thrive here in Argentina. The government is friendly so they won't deny a visa or anything. We have open borders by constitutional mandate so you can even become a citizen after a few years.
- vertis 5y ago
  In some ways the further from Russia the easier it will be. Countries in Europe feel very close and very connected. Asian countries and even countries like Australia and NZ not so much. AU/NZ are looking on and supporting Ukraine, but they lack the deep involvement. AU/NZ can be a bit of pain visa wise, but there are plenty of IT jobs. You do need to be able to speak English, but in my experience dealing with teams overseas (mostly China), it's not unusual to have to pause a conversation while someone looks up the meaning of the word before continuing. Similarly, there is a large expat population in Thailand, and there are definitely opportunities for tech people. Thailand only has 30 days visa free for Russians, however it's possible to extend the visa for a further 30 days by going and sitting in a government office waiting in line for a few hours. It's also possible to do a border run to reset this (it's not like Europe where it 90 days in 180 days. There are various agencies that can help get longer visas once you're there as well. [0]: https://visafreecountries.com/russian-passport https://visafreecountries.com/russian-passport
  - patrakov 5y ago
    Edit: Sorry for the misinterpreted news below. Regarding Thailand, I would not be so optimistic. There is a report (https://lenta.ru/news/2022/03/05/problemsss/ https://lenta.ru/news/2022/03/05/problemsss/) that Russian bank cards just stopped working in Thailand (Edit: hotels only). So one would somehow need to rely on cash only while searching for the opportunities. Edit: I should have checked the source: https://www.atorus.ru/news/press-centre/new/59021.html https://www.atorus.ru/news/press-centre/new/59021.html which says that Russian cards still work e.g. in shops.
sytelus 5y ago
Thanks for posting. This is very enlightening details from the inside. Why do you think you have no hope for getting your portfolio back? Is Main reason for exodus is reduced salary or reduced value of your salary? Or is the work disappearing because of companies moving out?
- smugglerFlynn 5y ago
  I see three reasons for the exodus: reduced salary, firings of an extreme scale which already happen, and political views. Most people I know have started relocating due to the latter, but former two now start to take major impact. Regarding portfolio - exchange has been frozen indefinitely, depending on measures taken by central bank nobody can predict what would happen to the stock price. They have also blocked most ways to move money out of the country. Possible economic default is also a possibility.
nnurmanov 5y ago
I have added an Airtable form where you can add your relocation details, I shall share the data with only trusted hiring managers and IT companies. https://www.withpublic.com/ https://www.withpublic.com/
archer_ 5y ago
I will launch a Job Board for Ukrain software devs arriving in Germany specifically, to connect them to companies open to hire them. EU is changing law to allow ukrains to get work permit easier, faster, for longer. However, I would advise everyone to try to be a freelancer if possible. It is a LOT easier for companies to hire then, even from other countries. We lost connection to our iOS dev living in Kiyv couple of days ago.
- smugglerFlynn 5y ago
  Wanna collaborate? How can I contact you?
  - archer_ 5y ago
    https://matrix.to/#/!XBsViwGeTelMcIVWGE:matrix.org?via=matrix.org https://matrix.to/#/!XBsViwGeTelMcIVWGE:matrix.org?via=matri...
anotheryou 5y ago
Thanks for acknowledging how horrific the decisions by the Russian government are. Still I must oppose to mentioning the fate of people in both countries in a single sentence. When I read "no care for peoples lives, either in Ukraine or in Russia", I want to say there is a drastic difference between risk of death at all times and living through an economic depression. A friend of mine is sheltering in place in the basement underneath the rubble of what remains of their home. They can't move with the elderly (if moving as in option at all¹), food is limited, no heating. Your family is in a hotel in Dubai. ¹ see e.g. https://twitter.com/JosephStec/status/1500068587633061890 https://twitter.com/JosephStec/status/1500068587633061890
- omosubi 5y ago
  I don't know where you live but it's astonishing to see how quickly people in the west criticize those fleeing war or economic collapse for minor comments or actions - do you think you would always say the right thing if you were in that situation? Cut the guy some slack. He's obviously desperate, even if he's not in a warzone
  - anotheryou 5y ago
    Yes, I understand that too. But for me that doesn't mean I shouldn't comment on it.
- smugglerFlynn 5y ago
  Economic depression is an understatement. Hospitals crumble. Financial system crumbles. People will be dying due to missed screenings and having no money for doctors. This is a fact. Bombs are part of the equation, and calling this “just an economic depression” is the same exact line of logic that ruling party follows to justify the war. Part of my family (wife’s brother, her parents) are still in Moscow, with very dire outlook on financial side. Our relocation is the only feasible way to keep them out of poverty.
- enterexit 5y ago
  Is this really necessary? Of course there is a difference between hiding from bombs and having financial lives turned upside down. That's not the point. Do you sort all beggars on the street and choose who you help and who you won't based on the severity of their situation?
dzugadon 5y ago
regular ukrainian people would be laughing at your suffering (and wish you and your whole nation death), but yes. its a tragedy too. on the other hand you wouldnt have any problem finding a job anywhere. turkish airlines still fly to russia. where i would go if i were russian - bulgaria, serbia, montenegro, greece, turkey, the west...
- smugglerFlynn 5y ago
  Some of these regular Ukrainian people are my close friends hiding in a shelter as you read this. I’d be purchasing charter flights for them if that was in my power. Every day I pray that they stay alive.
freebee56 5y ago
If you like cold weather and having lots of green space Canada has a large number of tech jobs that pay well by European standards. For someone with skills and/or education a work visa is VERY easy to get. My family member is an immigration consultant and can help out. I don't get any compensation for posting this. Feel like Canada as a destination is underutilized in the Russian community. If you are interested in advice please email dina[at]doorwaytocanada[dot]com
- smugglerFlynn 5y ago
  Thanks a lot for your support! I’ve relayed this information to our community
pelasaco 5y ago
Go back and fight for freedom. You fed Putin and his authoritarianism for years. While was good, you all enjoyed it. Now you leave Russia and after the War, regardless of Putin, regardless of how many people die in Ukraine, if the business are good again in Russia, you will come back home.. is that fair? I think it's not. Fight Putin on the streets
throwshopify 5y ago
I work at Shopify. It appears as of a day or two ago, I was told that we're relocating people from Russia to Canada. Of course this situation may change, things are fluid, but it may be worth applying to the careers site and seeing what happens. https://www.shopify.com/careers https://www.shopify.com/careers
- smugglerFlynn 5y ago
  <3
lmeyerov 5y ago
We fled to the US from the USSR with nothing but the support of American + Italian volunteers and fellow immigrants for housing and job hunting. I'm sorry for Ukrainian and Russian citizens suffering from this - I have family from both sides of the border. As much as things change.. :( So: We're hiring remote contractors, and for folks who want to make a difference, half our customers use our GPU visual graph intelligence tech for investigating problems like misinformation, money laundering, and state-sponsored hackers. Given our backgrounds, not an accident. See https://www.graphistry.com/careers https://www.graphistry.com/careers , esp if you do fullstack JS for any of viz/UI/webgl/data. But most of all: You, like many immigrants brave enough to go forward, sound youngish and skilled. Western countries will enable you and your family to rebuild and thrive.
- smugglerFlynn 5y ago
  Thanks, relayed to community!
kanwisher 5y ago
Happen Space - Building Metaverse Event Platform Looking for : C# Desktop devs (or willing to learn), Go Backend Devs https://happen.space https://happen.space Location: Bangkok, Thailand Email - jobs@happen.space
- smugglerFlynn 5y ago
  Thanks, relayed
seektable 5y ago
First of all, I wish you and your family stay safe. Nobody in Ukraine don't want death to _all_ Russians, however we hope all Russians who crossed the border with weapon in hands, will die here. After all, they _always_ have a choice: if a soldier don't want to kill Ukrainians and destroy our cities, he can surrender in Ukraine. Second, I'm afraid you don't know what "emergently evacuate" means. Completely. Family evacuation is when you're in the car with 2 kids while Russian helicopters attack Gostomel (city near to Kyiv) and go just above your car. Emergency evacuation is how now people try to leave Bucha, Irpin', Mariupol, Kharkiv, Chernihyv, Sumy. This means that their lives are _really_ can end accidentally because of warefare. Third, my question - if you didn't support Russia government, where you did for the last year? Last month? While Putin collects hordes on the border with Ukraine? Oh, you opened eyes only when West sanctions start working... I don't blame you. However, all this pain that we feel here in Ukraine, because you (and millions of Russians like you) didn't interested in what _your_ government and _your_ leader prepared for last 10 years. Interesting questions - what is your position about Crimea?.. That was a bright sign that Russia goes to hell, but you was blind.
- smugglerFlynn 5y ago
  I understand your emotions and your viewpoint completely.
matthewmorgan 5y ago
Take a look at these images and then ask me to give a damn about your IT career https://twitter.com/lynseyaddario/status/1500469003780771846 https://twitter.com/lynseyaddario/status/1500469003780771846
- omosubi 5y ago
  Is this necessary? The guy is trying to feed his family, not add another zero to his bank account. Would you want people to tell you the same thing if there was an economic collapse where you live? I hope people would extend the same courtesy to you if you or I were in the same situation.
  - matthewmorgan 5y ago
    Yes, I do think it's necessary that these sanctions aren't by-passed by sneaky bastards with Dubai boltholes, thanks for asking
    - esja 5y ago
      These sorts of comments are completely unnecessary, uncharitable, and against HN guidelines. This person is not hurting anybody (least of all you), and not doing anything that the rest of us wouldn't do in the same horrendous circumstances. He's also doing something to help lots of other people.
faangiq 5y ago
Sorry but your country has been canceled. -your friendly neighborhood UN
psyfi 5y ago
I visited UAE recently, and was considering moving there. You can find tons of offerings from local offices that can help you get employment visa that allows you to work for other UAE employers whilen sponsored by the office (advertised as freelancer visa, however it doesn't really allow you to work as contractor for UAE clients), you can find many posters everywhere in Dubai. In case you are not there yet, just check dubai.dubizzle.com (craigslist like in Dubai). this is about $2050 for two years visa, you pay less per person when getting your family members. A more expensive and robust option, is to work with through umbrella company like freelancervisa.com , they will issue invoices for your local client in their name, they recieve the fund and give it to you, the only fees is that 2 years visa is kinda double the first option (plus you have to charge your clients %5 for VAT). Also if you are impacted with Upwork (or similar) cease of operations for residents Russia, moving to UAE and opening a bank account will fix this for you, you don't have to be able to work legally with UAE clients if you won't work with UAE clients, so the $2K-ish option should be good Also, UAE is pretty robust in terms of money remitance and crypto friendly, in case you can't take your family with you. Good luck

220 points by smugglerFlynn 5y ago

coryfiteni 5y ago

valerotti 5y ago

I think Ukrainian IT need more help. People lost not only job, they lost homes, life, relatives and any future.

smugglerFlynn 5y ago
There is a huge Russian-speaking community in Ukraine. Most non-regional IT communities in Telegram have lots of Ukrainian people, many relocated back and forth between two countries in the past. Long story short: this post has no aim to focus on helping only Russians, if you have resources to support any kind of IT relocation regardless of nationality, please step forward.
Klaster_1 5y ago
Nobody denies that, but I don't think it's an "either or" situation. Resources spent on helping the fleeing and dislocated people to organize, like networking and bootstrapping communities in foreign countries, wouldn't have necessary been spent on Ukrainian developers help. They are likely to benefit from this too.
- dustymcp 5y ago
  I just dont think there is much goodwill with russia right now and righly so, i understand the population is not to blame but who else kept and elected the dictator, at some point you just have to say No and thats what is happening now on a global scale so russians will actually feel their governments actions. In sorry this hits you but enough is enough..
  - smugglerFlynn 5y ago
    Man, not to start political flame here, but you have no idea how many tricks they use to bend your mind and force you to fear authority. We had no real election over the last 18 years, even the one on 2000 was fueled by fear and manipulated people to vote for a certain candidate. It was all downhill from there. We had constitution revised in a major way twice just by popular vote, with all edits being made to keep people in power staying in power and destroying institutions.
  - iancmceachern 5y ago
    This is the first, and most important thing I learned from my grandfather. He was at pearl harbor when it was bombed, he was in a submarine under Tokyo bay during the war, he was part of many battles in the pacific, and finally nearly killed in a collision and received the purple heart among other medals. He was then part of the occupation of Japan after the war. What did he decide to teach me after all that? That the Japanese people are/were good people that were fooled and otherwise coerced (forced) into the war by evil leaders. Much like Russia today. I've carried this with me my whole life. And will continue to try to spread it around (compassion).

drguy33 5y ago

i have a web3 startup and live in Tbilisi. We are looking for a few devs for a small project. if you know any who have landed here, please let me know. TG/Whatsapp: +7 985 614-16-87

smugglerFlynn 5y ago
relayed <3

gostsamo 5y ago

I'm in Bulgaria and locally there is a big dev need. Everyone is welcome. I'm sorry that you and many other innocent people have to suffer in this madness. Contact me on the same twitter handle as this hn one for nonpublic info.

smugglerFlynn 5y ago
Dzhovani, you are a legend. Thanks for your support.

azZy28 5y ago

There are lots of smart and experienced IT guys who is not supporting this war, and government in general. Many of them participated in protests and tried to stop it, but it failed. And now it is dangerous to stay here (( P.S. I do agree - Ukrainians in even more need. Supporting them with just a work outside of Russia - will help a lot.

smugglerFlynn 5y ago
Exactly, we cannot support each other if one of us hides in shelter, and another has 0 money or is mobilized to “fight for motherland”
kolyaflash 5y ago
"not supporting this war" -- means nothing to your future and the future of your family. Stop saying it. Support stopping the war! "I do agree - Ukrainians in even more need." -- oh, really? Getting someone's country with its people demolished and that's funded by your taxes is "even more"?

drunkenmagician 5y ago

Telepathy Labs in Singapore is hiring Full Stack / Backend / DevOps Engineers Job details on LinkedIn, we’d welcome experienced and qualified professionals from Ukraine or Russia Disclaimer: I work there / hiring manager

smugglerFlynn 5y ago
Thanks a lot for that! I’m relaying this to our telegram.
GameOfFrowns 5y ago
Cool company name, by the way!

Nextgrid 5y ago

Are there sanctions that we should be aware of when hiring Russian contractors?

smugglerFlynn 5y ago
That’s up to your local regulations, none from Russian side that I know of (so far)
tinbka 5y ago
You can't pay to any Russian bank using SWIFT, Wise, Payoneer, Paxum, and probably any other MC/WU/Amex/Visa powered platforms, since recently. Other than that - no.
- Ingaz 5y ago
  SWIFT will disconnect in 12th of March banks from sanction list. Not "any Russian bank". Of course it's possible that in future all Russian banks will be under sanctions. Right now even bank transfers between Russia and Ukraine works fine. My ex-girlfriend still has a way to support her parents in Kyiv. If you meant possibility of total blockade: it's probable. Zelensky campaigns exactly for that. At least his ideas more realistic than Macron voiced: to block bitcoins in Russia.

rev1akarevvie 5y ago

claudiug 5y ago

I think Ukrainian IT need more help

smugglerFlynn 5y ago
I’m copying here my reply to a similar comment. There is a huge Russian-speaking community in Ukraine. Most non-regional IT communities in Telegram have lots of Ukrainian people, many relocated back and forth between two countries in the past. Long story short: this post has no aim to focus on helping only Russians, if you have resources to support any kind of IT relocation regardless of nationality, please step forward.

nnurmanov 5y ago

I am helping with relocate to Kazakhstan, send me the details at info@withpublic.com

smugglerFlynn 5y ago
Thanks <3! I’m relaying this info to our telegram.

jdrc 5y ago

has it become impossible to work remotely from russia?

smugglerFlynn 5y ago
I assume you mean staying abroad while keeping working for the Russian company. You need to understand the scale. Just today Yandex (one of the largest IT companies in Russia, think “Russian Google”) has announced[0] they are at risk of default. That’s 10 000 people, and Yandex is not the only large IT company. Companies like EPAM also have plans to evacuate people, that’s north of 30k people in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia and it is not clear how many layoffs there will be. 0 — https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/5240531 https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/5240531
- jdrc 5y ago
  what about the other way around (living in russia working remotely)
  - smugglerFlynn 5y ago
    People fear what happens next, those who can do their best to leave. We focus on it as it seems to be a major crisis. But you are right, people who stay will need help as well.
  - cguess 5y ago
    Good luck getting paid. The banks are pretty much all under sanctions. There's no SWIFT transfers, so no deposits from abroad.
- veganhouseDJ 5y ago
  The whole Russian economy is going to collapse. Gazprom is down 87% in Europe since the Russian markets were open. That is a giant energy company with oil up huge. The ruble took another massive hit again last night. Any Russian financial company is probably already wiped out. I wouldn't be shocked if the market doesn't open next week, it is not reopening and everything is going to have to be nationalized. We have never seen this before with a modern economy. In the 1929 market crash 25% of the US population were still farmers. Russia is 5% farmers. Most people are directly exposed to the fragility of the modern economy.

smugglerFlynn 5y ago

We now have over 197 resumes posted just today in the past 7 hours by people in despair: https://t.me/joinchat/AAAAAE3nUawZ4YX6AtDCFg https://t.me/joinchat/AAAAAE3nUawZ4YX6AtDCFg

atmosx 5y ago
A web resource would be easily shared IMO, while telegram requires ppl to download the app and join.
- smugglerFlynn 5y ago
  Already working on it. If anyone is interested in contribution - message me.
  - NicoJuicy 5y ago
    No pm functionality here
    - smugglerFlynn 5y ago
      email is at the end of the post

hau 5y ago

I can confirm everything you said about state of IT industry, it matches my experience. Our team is in process movingto Bulgaria thanks to BESCO (write letter to them right now if Bulgaria is an option for you). We are getting some help acquiring visas fast, but getting tickets out of Russia is harder with every minute (literally). We are leaving all our lives behind and fleeing in shock, hoping one day to be able to return, to help those who couldn't leave. Stay strong.

sdoering 5y ago

Working for SinnerSchrader (part of Accenture Interactive). We have an office in Prague. And due to Corona do mostly remote stuff. We are looking for tech people [0]. I have no idea if anything might work out. But it might be a chance. [0]: https://sinnerschrader.jobs/en/ https://sinnerschrader.jobs/en/

FabianBeiner 5y ago
I hope that Accenture actually thought of this when they terminated the 2,000+ people they had in Russia a few days ago.
- sdoering 5y ago
  I agree. We (regular employees and even our Management) have no idea what Accenture meant when the leadership mentioned that they intend to care for these people. We all hope to receive more clarification on that part. Personally I might understand that this is a difficult situation even if all involved persons really mean well (and from what I could experience especially the Accenture leadership are actual well meaning people - at least the ones I got to know). While also navigating difficult political waters. How do you pay people without Swift? What can be done to help our (now sadly former) Russian colleagues without putting them in danger for working for a US/western company? Can you transfer people? But still - how to pay them? I don't have any more insights than the official communications from HQ. But I still am hopeful that as much as is possible is being done. But yeah - the situation is s*t. Sorry for the language. (and all that coming from me who has quite a difficult view on/relationship with our parent organization)
  - smugglerFlynn 5y ago
    Swift only hurts couple of banks which are under sanctions, and only transactions done over swift. Money transfers are not fully blocked. I highly doubt this is the real reason.
smugglerFlynn 5y ago
relayed <3

qnsi 5y ago

Bro, we put sanctions on you for a reason, not to help you after they hurt you.

ww_wpg 5y ago
It definitely hurts Russia if their most talented workers relocate out of the country
- qnsi 5y ago
  sure, but hes asking for remote work as well, for those staying in Moscow. I think its very funny, him speaking about 2hours a day, like his in grave danger. He didnt mention anything about being presecuted. I happen to know people stuck in Ukraine fearing for their life so please excuse me that I find it hard to emphatize with him. I would feel bad if he dint overstate how bad his situation is.
  - throwaway_4ever 5y ago
    This person is fleeing their home of decades, their family and friends, for the unknown with barely anything to start from the ground somewhere. Did you expect them to single-handedly take Putin down themselves? If they didn't vote for Putin, they have my utmost sympathy and I wish I could help. Anti-Putin Russians are also lesser victims in this war on Ukraine. Remember, protesting Putin and the war can now lead to 15 years in a Russian gulag.
  - smugglerFlynn 5y ago
    Maybe I was not 100% clear on that. People who look for remote work need it to stay somewhere _outside_ of Russia and work remotely from there. Relocation is no easy feat, at least to do it quickly. Especially with half of the flights out of Russia being shut down.
iExploder 5y ago
"bro" we put sanctions on the gov not to hurt your everyday Ivan. Its not like they live in a democracy and russians can just do anything about their dictator gov.

908B64B197 5y ago

Honest question here: Have you considered, as an able-bodied young man, doing the honorable thing and "cleaning up" your country? Young American patriots did the same back in 1776. Maybe it’s time for your people and country to enter the modern era.

muzika 5y ago
The problem is that over 50% of Russian people stand behind Putin. They get their news and political views from watching state-run TV.
- cipher_system 5y ago
  Surely his approval ratings must have taken a massive hit? The OMON, military and state media will also loose their life savings and suffer under the war and sanctions. There's just so much protests they can handle and with more and more people with nothing left to loose, the momentum can quickly overwhelm them. It's not gonna be easy but you're running out of options. Best of luck if you choose to fight.
smugglerFlynn 5y ago
I’ll leave this one for the audience.
vertis 5y ago
I'm going to link to a thread by a Belarusian today on twitter[0]. It sheds light on Belarus which is applicable to Russia. Highly recommended read. [0]: https://twitter.com/AlinaLeonovaSF/status/1499457928562102274 https://twitter.com/AlinaLeonovaSF/status/149945792856210227...
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
burntoutfire 5y ago
These two situations are literally not comparable at all. For one thing, England didn't have massive police and secret police force estabilised in its American colonies which could just immediately disappear any people who are starting to organize any kind of resistance. The Russian despots were always extremely good at snuffing out any internal resistance, that's how they stayed in power for centuries.

mattbrewsbytes 5y ago

Regardless of someones stance on the situation, some questions as it relates to a knowledgeable IT/Software person fleeing a country and the logistics of getting paid might help us all. * What method(s) of payment are capable of receiving that could help? * Are you able to establish a bank account in another country or is it down to cash or crypto? If crypto, do you have a way to reliably withdraw into local currency for food/shelter? * Do you require special work visa's? Or is the only alternative a "under the table" (i.e. off the books/unofficial) type of arrangement? * If someone were able to hire/pay for work, what assurances are there that you can produce work on a daily basis? (I assume risks include many things if someone is mobile, doesn't have internet, etc.)

faebi 5y ago

How hard is it for Russians to get a work Visa in the EU or Schengen? You might make it to St. Petersburg and then just cross over to Finnland or Estonia. It's just 200km to their capitals. IT people are still in strong demand especially if your salary expectation are below average.

olegious 5y ago
My understanding is that EU has stopped all visa processing for Russians.
- iovrthoughtthis 5y ago
  this sucks :(

burntoutfire 5y ago

> Yesterday I had to emergently evacuate my family from Moscow on a flight to Dubai, leaving behind my apartment, car and my whole life. What happened? Were you in danger?

EVa5I7bHFq9mnYK 5y ago
At any time now a martial law can be declared in Russia, closing borders, interning foreign citizens, conscripting any male 18-60 to serve as cannon fodder in Ukraine, confiscating savings etc.
wildzzz 5y ago
If I had a choice between being locked out of my investments and in a country where the economy is falling apart or being locked out of my investments and in a much more stable country, I'd pick the latter. I'd be out of work regardless but at least there would be some near term chance of job opportunity somewhere other than Russia.
GameOfFrowns 5y ago
Following the news I'd guess that the situation in Russia is deteriorating rapidly, especially with the currency becoming worthless and accounts being frozen. Who knows what kind of draconian laws the authorities will come up with to counter the coming social unrest? Better leave now while you can still afford it.
- smugglerFlynn 5y ago
  We already know. Over the past days they have criminalized most of the ways to convey information about the conflict, with 10-20 years of imprisonment. As a side-consequence, most of the non-government press in Russia does not exist anymore.

vaidhy 5y ago

I am reposting my "who is hiring" post - we are hiring remote. We are a startup building high performance machine learning systems on CPUs. Our core technologies are hash-based algorithms that accelerate neural network training and high dimensional near neighbor search. We are looking for engineers with 3+ years of experience building and shipping high performance systems. Machine learning and C++ experience is a big plus, and definitely tell us about any AI publications you have, we’re interested! If building a new set of machine learning tools from scratch sounds fun to you, get in touch! Feel free to email me vaidhy [at] thirdai.com. Our website is under active reconstruction using Hugo (that’s how early stage we are), but feel free to find out more about us at https://www.thirdai.com https://www.thirdai.com

smugglerFlynn 5y ago
Thanks, sent this information to our teams

z3wasoft3r 5y ago

<rant> Some of the responses on this thread are appalling. Misanthropes are dehumanising people based on nationality. I wonder: Does every German bear responsibility for WW2? Does every US citizen bear responsibility for the genocide in Yemen (I could about 60 countries here...)? Does every Ukrainian bear responsibility the Azov regiment crimes? WTF is wrong with you ppl? Get your shit together. You're acting as if a 5-year old in Russia is a lesser human being compared to a 5 year old in Ukraine. They're both 5-year olds. </rant>

vertis 5y ago
Blessed or cursed by where you are born. These people are leaving Russia because they will get thrown in jail for protesting. They're at high risk of conscription in a war that don't agree to. I have spoken to Russians and Belarusians over the last few days. They're against what their government is doing. Leaving is one of the only options. In some ways, IT leaving is worse for Russia than just the sanctions. That 'talent' will never return. That loss will linger.
908B64B197 5y ago
> Does every German bear responsibility for WW2? A generation of Germans made the choice not to let the past define them, and through hard work bootstrapped themselves and their country to become a leader for human rights, democracy and economy. Time for citizens of Russia and its allies to make the same decisions.
- Kelteseth 5y ago
  Yes, but this was after we lost the war (thank god). This change came not from within. The absolute vast majority supported the Nazi party until the end. You can read about it here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denazification https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denazification
smugglerFlynn 5y ago
Thanks for that. Maybe we should make a table with a no. of victims per country so we can distribute blame more fairly? Can also probably automate and gamify this. Good thing most leaders who made these decisions are gone and we can shift anger to actual citizen instead.

hogrider 5y ago

Probably sounds crazy but if you speak English you probably can adjust and thrive here in Argentina. The government is friendly so they won't deny a visa or anything. We have open borders by constitutional mandate so you can even become a citizen after a few years.

vertis 5y ago
In some ways the further from Russia the easier it will be. Countries in Europe feel very close and very connected. Asian countries and even countries like Australia and NZ not so much. AU/NZ are looking on and supporting Ukraine, but they lack the deep involvement. AU/NZ can be a bit of pain visa wise, but there are plenty of IT jobs. You do need to be able to speak English, but in my experience dealing with teams overseas (mostly China), it's not unusual to have to pause a conversation while someone looks up the meaning of the word before continuing. Similarly, there is a large expat population in Thailand, and there are definitely opportunities for tech people. Thailand only has 30 days visa free for Russians, however it's possible to extend the visa for a further 30 days by going and sitting in a government office waiting in line for a few hours. It's also possible to do a border run to reset this (it's not like Europe where it 90 days in 180 days. There are various agencies that can help get longer visas once you're there as well. [0]: https://visafreecountries.com/russian-passport https://visafreecountries.com/russian-passport
- patrakov 5y ago
  Edit: Sorry for the misinterpreted news below. Regarding Thailand, I would not be so optimistic. There is a report (https://lenta.ru/news/2022/03/05/problemsss/ https://lenta.ru/news/2022/03/05/problemsss/) that Russian bank cards just stopped working in Thailand (Edit: hotels only). So one would somehow need to rely on cash only while searching for the opportunities. Edit: I should have checked the source: https://www.atorus.ru/news/press-centre/new/59021.html https://www.atorus.ru/news/press-centre/new/59021.html which says that Russian cards still work e.g. in shops.

sytelus 5y ago

Thanks for posting. This is very enlightening details from the inside. Why do you think you have no hope for getting your portfolio back? Is Main reason for exodus is reduced salary or reduced value of your salary? Or is the work disappearing because of companies moving out?

smugglerFlynn 5y ago
I see three reasons for the exodus: reduced salary, firings of an extreme scale which already happen, and political views. Most people I know have started relocating due to the latter, but former two now start to take major impact. Regarding portfolio - exchange has been frozen indefinitely, depending on measures taken by central bank nobody can predict what would happen to the stock price. They have also blocked most ways to move money out of the country. Possible economic default is also a possibility.

nnurmanov 5y ago

I have added an Airtable form where you can add your relocation details, I shall share the data with only trusted hiring managers and IT companies. https://www.withpublic.com/ https://www.withpublic.com/

archer_ 5y ago

I will launch a Job Board for Ukrain software devs arriving in Germany specifically, to connect them to companies open to hire them. EU is changing law to allow ukrains to get work permit easier, faster, for longer. However, I would advise everyone to try to be a freelancer if possible. It is a LOT easier for companies to hire then, even from other countries. We lost connection to our iOS dev living in Kiyv couple of days ago.

smugglerFlynn 5y ago
Wanna collaborate? How can I contact you?
- archer_ 5y ago
  https://matrix.to/#/!XBsViwGeTelMcIVWGE:matrix.org?via=matrix.org https://matrix.to/#/!XBsViwGeTelMcIVWGE:matrix.org?via=matri...

anotheryou 5y ago

Thanks for acknowledging how horrific the decisions by the Russian government are. Still I must oppose to mentioning the fate of people in both countries in a single sentence. When I read "no care for peoples lives, either in Ukraine or in Russia", I want to say there is a drastic difference between risk of death at all times and living through an economic depression. A friend of mine is sheltering in place in the basement underneath the rubble of what remains of their home. They can't move with the elderly (if moving as in option at all¹), food is limited, no heating. Your family is in a hotel in Dubai. ¹ see e.g. https://twitter.com/JosephStec/status/1500068587633061890 https://twitter.com/JosephStec/status/1500068587633061890

omosubi 5y ago
I don't know where you live but it's astonishing to see how quickly people in the west criticize those fleeing war or economic collapse for minor comments or actions - do you think you would always say the right thing if you were in that situation? Cut the guy some slack. He's obviously desperate, even if he's not in a warzone
- anotheryou 5y ago
  Yes, I understand that too. But for me that doesn't mean I shouldn't comment on it.
smugglerFlynn 5y ago
Economic depression is an understatement. Hospitals crumble. Financial system crumbles. People will be dying due to missed screenings and having no money for doctors. This is a fact. Bombs are part of the equation, and calling this “just an economic depression” is the same exact line of logic that ruling party follows to justify the war. Part of my family (wife’s brother, her parents) are still in Moscow, with very dire outlook on financial side. Our relocation is the only feasible way to keep them out of poverty.
enterexit 5y ago
Is this really necessary? Of course there is a difference between hiding from bombs and having financial lives turned upside down. That's not the point. Do you sort all beggars on the street and choose who you help and who you won't based on the severity of their situation?

dzugadon 5y ago

regular ukrainian people would be laughing at your suffering (and wish you and your whole nation death), but yes. its a tragedy too. on the other hand you wouldnt have any problem finding a job anywhere. turkish airlines still fly to russia. where i would go if i were russian - bulgaria, serbia, montenegro, greece, turkey, the west...

smugglerFlynn 5y ago
Some of these regular Ukrainian people are my close friends hiding in a shelter as you read this. I’d be purchasing charter flights for them if that was in my power. Every day I pray that they stay alive.

freebee56 5y ago

If you like cold weather and having lots of green space Canada has a large number of tech jobs that pay well by European standards. For someone with skills and/or education a work visa is VERY easy to get. My family member is an immigration consultant and can help out. I don't get any compensation for posting this. Feel like Canada as a destination is underutilized in the Russian community. If you are interested in advice please email dina[at]doorwaytocanada[dot]com

smugglerFlynn 5y ago
Thanks a lot for your support! I’ve relayed this information to our community

pelasaco 5y ago

Go back and fight for freedom. You fed Putin and his authoritarianism for years. While was good, you all enjoyed it. Now you leave Russia and after the War, regardless of Putin, regardless of how many people die in Ukraine, if the business are good again in Russia, you will come back home.. is that fair? I think it's not. Fight Putin on the streets

throwshopify 5y ago

I work at Shopify. It appears as of a day or two ago, I was told that we're relocating people from Russia to Canada. Of course this situation may change, things are fluid, but it may be worth applying to the careers site and seeing what happens. https://www.shopify.com/careers https://www.shopify.com/careers

smugglerFlynn 5y ago
<3

lmeyerov 5y ago

We fled to the US from the USSR with nothing but the support of American + Italian volunteers and fellow immigrants for housing and job hunting. I'm sorry for Ukrainian and Russian citizens suffering from this - I have family from both sides of the border. As much as things change.. :( So: We're hiring remote contractors, and for folks who want to make a difference, half our customers use our GPU visual graph intelligence tech for investigating problems like misinformation, money laundering, and state-sponsored hackers. Given our backgrounds, not an accident. See https://www.graphistry.com/careers https://www.graphistry.com/careers , esp if you do fullstack JS for any of viz/UI/webgl/data. But most of all: You, like many immigrants brave enough to go forward, sound youngish and skilled. Western countries will enable you and your family to rebuild and thrive.

smugglerFlynn 5y ago
Thanks, relayed to community!

kanwisher 5y ago

Happen Space - Building Metaverse Event Platform Looking for : C# Desktop devs (or willing to learn), Go Backend Devs https://happen.space https://happen.space Location: Bangkok, Thailand Email - jobs@happen.space

smugglerFlynn 5y ago
Thanks, relayed

seektable 5y ago

First of all, I wish you and your family stay safe. Nobody in Ukraine don't want death to _all_ Russians, however we hope all Russians who crossed the border with weapon in hands, will die here. After all, they _always_ have a choice: if a soldier don't want to kill Ukrainians and destroy our cities, he can surrender in Ukraine. Second, I'm afraid you don't know what "emergently evacuate" means. Completely. Family evacuation is when you're in the car with 2 kids while Russian helicopters attack Gostomel (city near to Kyiv) and go just above your car. Emergency evacuation is how now people try to leave Bucha, Irpin', Mariupol, Kharkiv, Chernihyv, Sumy. This means that their lives are _really_ can end accidentally because of warefare. Third, my question - if you didn't support Russia government, where you did for the last year? Last month? While Putin collects hordes on the border with Ukraine? Oh, you opened eyes only when West sanctions start working... I don't blame you. However, all this pain that we feel here in Ukraine, because you (and millions of Russians like you) didn't interested in what _your_ government and _your_ leader prepared for last 10 years. Interesting questions - what is your position about Crimea?.. That was a bright sign that Russia goes to hell, but you was blind.

smugglerFlynn 5y ago
I understand your emotions and your viewpoint completely.

matthewmorgan 5y ago

Take a look at these images and then ask me to give a damn about your IT career https://twitter.com/lynseyaddario/status/1500469003780771846 https://twitter.com/lynseyaddario/status/1500469003780771846

omosubi 5y ago
Is this necessary? The guy is trying to feed his family, not add another zero to his bank account. Would you want people to tell you the same thing if there was an economic collapse where you live? I hope people would extend the same courtesy to you if you or I were in the same situation.
- matthewmorgan 5y ago
  Yes, I do think it's necessary that these sanctions aren't by-passed by sneaky bastards with Dubai boltholes, thanks for asking
  - esja 5y ago
    These sorts of comments are completely unnecessary, uncharitable, and against HN guidelines. This person is not hurting anybody (least of all you), and not doing anything that the rest of us wouldn't do in the same horrendous circumstances. He's also doing something to help lots of other people.

faangiq 5y ago

Sorry but your country has been canceled. -your friendly neighborhood UN

psyfi 5y ago

I visited UAE recently, and was considering moving there. You can find tons of offerings from local offices that can help you get employment visa that allows you to work for other UAE employers whilen sponsored by the office (advertised as freelancer visa, however it doesn't really allow you to work as contractor for UAE clients), you can find many posters everywhere in Dubai. In case you are not there yet, just check dubai.dubizzle.com (craigslist like in Dubai). this is about $2050 for two years visa, you pay less per person when getting your family members. A more expensive and robust option, is to work with through umbrella company like freelancervisa.com , they will issue invoices for your local client in their name, they recieve the fund and give it to you, the only fees is that 2 years visa is kinda double the first option (plus you have to charge your clients %5 for VAT). Also if you are impacted with Upwork (or similar) cease of operations for residents Russia, moving to UAE and opening a bank account will fix this for you, you don't have to be able to work legally with UAE clients if you won't work with UAE clients, so the $2K-ish option should be good Also, UAE is pretty robust in terms of money remitance and crypto friendly, in case you can't take your family with you. Good luck