After Ukraine declared independence in 1991, it inherited as many as 3,594 military industrial enterprises from the Soviet Union, of which more than 700 were directly engaged in first-class production. Subsequently, Ukraine completely turned to Western countries, which led to serious turmoil in the values and social order of its own people, and many professional and technical talents inherited from the "big brother" were scrambling to be tapped by other countries. According to incomplete statistics, between 1991 and 1994 alone, more than 200 Ukrainian technical experts came to live and work in China's Shaanxi Province and Chongqing Municipality with their families. 30 years have passed, what is the situation of these Ukrainian experts who came to China now?1. Ukraine's Grim Brain Drain The Soviet flag was slowly lowered from the Kremlin on December 25, 1991, ending nearly 70 years of fluttering and marking the end of the years-long Cold War between the two camps.
Many CIS countries, such as Ukraine, are facing a serious economic crisis, social order chaos and rampant activities, and the socio-economic collapse has led to the increasingly serious phenomenon of all kinds of talent migration in these countries. According to the records, in 1991, shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the number of people who moved into Ukraine was 7150,000 people, while the number of people who moved out was 58750,000 people;By 1992, that number had changed to 57770,000 people, 28 emigrants960,000 people. By 1994, the immigration balance was in deficit, with 20 immigrants270,000 and 350,000 emigrants. 82 out of the total number of immigrants4% went to the republics of the former Soviet Union, primarily Russia. In addition to the former Soviet republics, other Ukrainians have also traveled to countries such as Israel, the United States, Canada, Australia, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
By the end of 1994, Ukraine's gross domestic product had fallen by 24 percent compared to the previous year, which led to an outflow of more Ukrainian skilled personnel and military technology. In the competition for the talent of the Ukrainian military-industrial complex, the United States acted the most ruthlessly. As early as the beginning of 1992, the "League of Ukrainians", which was funded by the United States, including the "Committee of Veterans of Ukraine and the United States" and other organizations, poured into all corners of Ukraine like a tide, and its purpose is self-evident. The United States claims to be the "world hegemon" and has obtained many unique military technologies from the former Soviet Union through Ukraine, such as the design of the "** hydrofoil" that they have been longing for. Countries have adopted various means, soft or hard, to actively win over Ukrainian military industry experts, hoping to borrow their strength.
South Korea is interested in looking for talent in the CIS countries in order to reduce its dependence on Russian military technology, and has carried out large-scale work on the introduction of technology and talent. Attracting Ukrainian scientific and technical talents by giving generous remuneration, the promised working time is generally not more than a year, and some even only need a month, with a monthly salary of not less than $2,000, and even up to $4,000 per month for well-known specialists. Many Ukrainian technologists choose to work on the Korean Peninsula, and for them, this is an opportunity to improve their lives. But most of the Ukrainian specialists who left their home countries to work in other countries did not really integrate into local life. Many Ukrainian migrants who went to Australia and South Korea to "pan for gold" initially thought that the local ** would provide everything, but over time it became clear that the previous amenities no longer existed.
Despite higher wages in Australia and South Korea, the cost of living is also quite high, and Ukrainian techs are finding that they have to work harder to buy necessities and even work more than nine hours a day. And not everyone of these Ukrainian scientists has the opportunity to engage in orthodox scientific research. Because of the language barrier, these physicists, mathematicians, economists, chemists and even computer experts are forced to do manual labor, such as washing dishes and working as bar doormen. Many Ukrainian medical specialists have difficulty finding jobs in Australia and the United States, where non-native medical degrees are not recognized, they must be re-educated, and they cannot even pass entrance exams if they do not know English. Therefore, the life of Ukrainian technologists and specialists who went to these countries was not as satisfactory as it could be.
From the 90s to around 2000 of the 20th century, China put forward a series of plans for "talent introduction" to actively attract Ukrainian technicians and military experts to work in China. Compared with those countries that do not keep their word, China has succeeded in attracting a large number of Ukrainian experts with its sincere actions. As early as the 90s of the 20th century, Shaanxi Province began to plan and build a "production area" with an area of more than 100 square kilometers, which was specially designed to house hundreds of employees of the "Antonov" company and their families. With the support of **, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Wuhan and other places have also built large production areas to prepare for the reception of Ukrainian technicians and their families. For example, many former employees from the company "Madasic" came to Chongqing to devote themselves to the construction of new engines. In addition, employees of the Southern Machine-Building Plant cooperated with Ukrainian specialists.
China** has done a lot of work to welcome Ukrainian specialists, not only building new enterprises and factories, but also thoughtfully building new towns and cities for them, including houses and other infrastructure built in the style of the former Soviet Union, which are completely available to Ukrainian specialists and their families. Once the Ukrainian technician and family are in place, they will receive the keys to the new house. China** has provided a stage for these Ukrainian technical experts to display their skills and ambitions, and has not "overpowered" them, preventing these valuable technical talents from working in "blue-collar" jobs. Because of this, these Ukrainian experts who came to China have helped our country complete more than 2,000 military projects in the past nearly 30 years. According to some European scholars, the key first step in China's modern military industry was done with the help of Ukrainian experts. While this statement is somewhat biased, it is not entirely wrong.
These Ukrainian experts have reached retirement age, but most of the Ukrainian experts and their families choose to continue to live in China, they like to taste Chinese dumplings, and they will personally write Spring Festival couplets during the Chinese New Year. Some experts choose to work in China because they have been rehired by their employers and feel very comfortable after living and working in China for many years. China's inclusiveness and stable governance attitude have allowed these Ukrainian experts to devote themselves to "high-tech" related work such as national defense scientific research without worries in China. This practice has directly promoted the development of the Chinese industry. In 2017, Globe published an article saying that if Russia cannot provide competitive conditions for its own experts, a large number of Russian experts may go to China. This report indirectly confirms China's attraction to these former Soviet states.
When a whale falls, all things are born. The Chinese people do not want to see countries killing each other, and military conflicts directly break out. However, the death of one whale in nature can nourish other organisms and create a thriving marine ecosystem. Now that this has happened, it is better to use your talents to draw as much nutrients as possible from this big whale for the benefit of the world. Perhaps this is the key to attracting so many foreign talents in China[1][2]